Hamas announced on Saturday that it will hand over the bodies of two hostages later in the day, following Israel’s warning that the main crossing from Egypt into Gaza would remain closed until the remains of all deceased captives are returned.
The armed wing of Hamas, the Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades, said on its Telegram channel that the handover would take place at 10:00 PM local time (1900 GMT), specifying that the bodies of two Israeli captives recovered earlier in Gaza would be delivered.
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This comes as the UN relief chief called for extensive humanitarian assistance for Gaza, where infrastructure and homes remain severely damaged after weeks of conflict.
Under the ceasefire brokered by US President Donald Trump, Hamas has already released all 20 living hostages and returned the remains of nine Israelis and one Nepalese. The most recent handover, on Friday night, was identified by Israel as Eliyahu Margalit, aged 75, who died during Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack.
In return, Israel has released nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and 135 Palestinian bodies since the truce took effect on October 10.
The Palestinian mission in Cairo indicated that the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt could reopen as early as Monday, initially for Gazans residing in Egypt wishing to return. However, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office later clarified that the crossing would remain closed until further notice.
“Its reopening will be considered based on how Hamas fulfils its part in returning the hostages and the bodies of the deceased, and in implementing the agreed-upon framework,” it said, referring to the week-old ceasefire deal.
Further delays to the reopening of Rafah could complicate the task facing Tom Fletcher, the UN head of humanitarian relief, who was in Gaza on Saturday.
The British diplomat and his team travelled in a convoy of SUVs to see a wastewater treatment plant in Sheikh Radwan, north of Gaza City.
“I drove through here seven to eight months ago when most of these buildings were still standing and, to see the devastation – this is a vast part of the city, just a wasteland – and it’s absolutely devastating to see,” he told AFP.
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Digging latrines
Surveying the damaged pumping equipment and a lake of sewage at the Sheikh Radwan wastewater plant, Fletcher said the task ahead for the UN and aid agencies was a “massive, massive job”.
He said he had met residents returning to destroyed homes who were trying to dig latrines in the ruins.
“They’re telling me most of all they want dignity,” he said. “We’ve got to get the power back on so we can start to get the sanitation system back in place.
“We have a massive 60-day plan now to surge in food, get a mi