Copyright ynetnews
Bar Rudaeff, the son of the fallen hostage Lior Rudaeff, whose body has not yet been returned from Gaza, spoke Monday morning in an interview with ynet about the tense period during which no progress has been made in retrieving the bodies of the hostages. “The past two weeks since the agreement was signed have been a microcosm of a roller coaster,” Rudaeff said. “Most of the time, we try to keep expectations low so we’re not disappointed day after day, but of course there’s still hope that they’ll bring my father back for a proper burial—especially after the return of his partner from the emergency squad, Tal Haimi.” Even on Sunday there was no transfer of the hostages’ bodies, despite the agreement with Hamas—the fifth consecutive day without such a release. Searches continue in Rafah and Khan Younis, including with Egyptian assistance, to locate, according to reports, the bodies of Hadar Goldin and Amiram Cooper. According to those reports, Hamas gave the Red Cross coordinates and information pointing to areas where the bodies might be held. Israel also permitted representatives of the organization to enter territory beyond the “yellow line” under IDF control—an unusual move made under pressure from mediators. At the same time, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu approved the entry of a special Egyptian team into Gaza to assist in locating the remains and emphasized that Israel maintains full security control in the Strip. Rudaeff said the family receives updates but tries not to nurture false hope. “They talk to us there’s some intelligence regarding my father’s location, which I obviously can’t share. But apparently it’s not significant enough to bring him back based on intelligence alone. Hamas hasn’t collapsed, but it’s crumbling from within—they can’t return all the hostages’ bodies without the heavy equipment that’s entered in recent days.” He described the family’s emotional state as one of constant alertness. “We try not to get our hopes up,” he said. “Even when we see headlines—until we get definite confirmation from officers, we don’t let ourselves believe. There’s only so much the human heart can handle in terms of hope and disappointment.” When asked about the possibility that Israel might resume fighting if Hamas continues to violate the agreement, Rudaeff replied: “Ultimately, we shouldn’t move forward with the deal until all the fallen are returned. We need to see this through. The failure to locate the bodies is also a result of the IDF’s destructive power in Gaza—power that’s necessary, of course—but it’s possible that the fallen are buried under the rubble. We have to give time and opportunity to find them.” Over the weekend, U.S. President Donald Trump issued a clear deadline to Hamas—48 hours to return the bodies. Trump, writing on his social-media platform during a refueling stop in Doha, said: “We have a very strong peace in the Middle East, and I believe it has a good chance of being everlasting. Hamas is going to have to start returning the bodies of the deceased hostages, including two Americans, quickly, or the other countries involved in this great peace will take action. Some of the bodies are hard to reach, but others they can return now and, for some reason, they are not.” Rudaeff commented on the president’s ultimatum: “I believe Trump and the U.S. have the best intentions—they’re the most committed to this issue—but Hamas is unpredictable. Until mediators like Qatar and Egypt apply pressure, I don’t think we’ll see progress. We haven’t heard them say anything yet. There’s an ultimatum, but in reality the outcome will likely be different. I don’t believe that within this timeframe all 13 bodies will be returned, but I also don’t think resuming heavy fighting will help bring them back or end this war.” Rudaeff also spoke about the family’s close relationship with the relatives of Tal Haimi, his father’s comrade from the kibbutz's first response team, who was returned to Israel and buried at Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak. “Of course we’re in constant contact with Ela, Or and his father,” he said. “When you grow up together on a kibbutz, that bond doesn’t disappear. This past Shabbat, Ela and Zohar spoke at a rally holding a picture of my father—they’re with us in this struggle all the time.” As the deadline set by Trump draws closer, frustration among the families of the hostages continues to grow. In a statement, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said Hamas knows very well where all the fallen hostages are being held. Two weeks have passed since the deadline set in the agreement for the return of all 48 hostages, and 13 are still being held by Hamas. The forum called on the Israeli government and the mediators to immediately use every means at their disposal until Hamas fully and completely fulfills its commitment to return every hostage. It also demanded that the Israeli government, the U.S. administration and the mediators make no progress toward the second stage of the agreement until Hamas meets all its obligations and returns all the hostages—every single one of them. “We will not, under any circumstances, accept the continuation of Hamas’s terrorism against the people of Israel in general and against the hostages’ families in particular,” the statement read. Israeli officials believe that the failure to return the fallen delays the next phase of the agreement and the implementation of clauses related to disarmament. Therefore, the deadline set by Trump is seen in Jerusalem as the first real test of Hamas’s credibility since the ceasefire.
