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TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Hamas has handed over the remains of another captive to Israel. The handover of the hostages' bodies was done after an Israeli drone had attacked a few hours earlier in southern Gaza, amidst a fragile ceasefire.The Israeli military stated on Monday that the Red Cross had taken over the coffin. The hostages' bodies were transported by the Israeli army in Gaza.Based on the terms of the ceasefire mediated by the United States and coming into effect on October 10, Hamas has pledged to return the remains of the 28 captives. On Monday, the remains of 16 hostages were handed over. The 20 surviving hostages were released on October 13 as part of the ceasefire agreement.This latest release of remains occurred as the families of some hostages urged the Israeli government to cease the ceasefire if Hamas failed to locate and hand over the bodies. "Hamas knows exactly where every one of the deceased hostages is held," said the Hostage and Missing Families Forum as reported by Al Jazeera.“The families urge the government of Israel, the United States administration and the mediators not to advance to the next phase of the agreement until Hamas fulfils all of its obligations and returns every hostage to Israel,” the association stated.This statement echoes the claim by the Israeli government that Hamas knows the whereabouts of the remaining bodies.On Saturday, Hamas negotiator Khalil al-Hayya mentioned the challenges in locating the hostages' remains due to the changes in the Gaza terrain caused by the occupation onslaught over the enclave. He speculated that some who buried the bodies had been killed during the war, while others had forgotten the burial locations.A day after al-Hayya's statement, Israel allowed a technical team from Egypt to enter Gaza to assist in the search for the remains. The search involved the use of excavators and trucks.Israel Continues to Pound GazaDespite the ceasefire, Israeli drone attacks near the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis killed at least two people on Monday, according to Nasser Hospital.In total, eight Palestinians were killed, and 13 others were injured in Israeli attacks in the enclave over the past 48 hours, according to the Gaza Health Ministry on Monday. At least 68,527 people have died and 170,395 have been injured since the Israeli genocidal war in Gaza began in October 2023, it added.US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated on Monday that Israel did not violate the ceasefire despite attacking members of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad group on Saturday. “We don’t view that as a violation of the ceasefire,” he said. Rubio, in turn, accused the Palestinian Islamic Jihad of planning attacks on Israeli forces. ”They have the right if there’s an imminent threat to Israel, and all the mediators agree with that.”In more than two weeks since the ceasefire began, around 473,000 people have returned to northern Gaza. Their properties in Gaza are damaged, and they lack basic necessities such as food and water, according to the United Nations.Younis al-Khatib, the head of the Palestinian Red Crescent Society, has warned that the people in Gaza still face a humanitarian emergency as severe as before the ceasefire.“Rebuilding human beings is more difficult than rebuilding destroyed homes,” he said during a meeting with the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Norway in Oslo. Al-Khatib added that the residents would require mental health care for years to come.Editor’s Choice: Thousands of Unexploded Israeli Bombs Threaten Lives as Gaza Clears Debris, Finds BodiesClick here to get the latest news updates from Tempo on Google News
