Egyptian authorities and Red Cross Participate in Search for Captive Remains in Gaza

Egyptian equipment enters into the Gaza Strip
Egyptian machinery enters into the Gaza territory

Units from Egypt and the ICRC have been granted permission to locate the remains of hostages who perished captured during the 7 October attacks, officials in Israel have confirmed.

The authorities in Israel stated that the teams have been permitted to search past the referred to as "demarcation line" in the area controlled by Israeli forces in Gaza.

Hamas has handed over 15 out of twenty-eight hostages who lost their lives under the initial stage of a American-mediated ceasefire deal, which requires it to transfer all remains of captives. The group stated it is now working together with Egyptian authorities.

The former US president has cautions Hamas to begin returning the remains "promptly, or the other countries involved in this significant peace will take action".

An official representative said the crew from Egypt has been permitted to work with the Red Cross to locate the bodies, and would use digging equipment and trucks for the operation past the "demarcation line".

The "yellow line" indicates the border running along the northern, southern and eastern of Gaza that Israel pulled back to, as part of the initial phase of the truce agreement.

Until now, Israel has not authorized the access of such teams.

Egypt, along with Qatari officials and Turkish authorities, is a key signatory of the mediated by Trump Gaza peace plan, which was signed in the coastal city of the resort town in recent weeks.

The news will be greeted positively by family members, desperate to provide a proper burial.

Hostage situation in the region

The International Committee of the Red Cross has already been deeply engaged in the return of captives.

The organization does not hand over its detainees - alive or deceased - directly to the IDF, but rather to the Red Cross, which in turn escorts them through Gaza and hands them on to the IDF.

But the entry of Egyptian excavation teams inside the Gaza territory is a recent development.

After more than two years of heavy shelling by Israeli forces, the UN calculates that as much as eighty-four percent of the area has been destroyed completely.

Hamas claims it is doing its best to retrieve hostage bodies, but it faces difficulty finding them under debris of structures destroyed by the Israeli military in the region.

It is now working in coordination with the Egyptian authorities.

On Sunday, an Israeli government spokesperson said that the organization knew where the bodies were.

"If Hamas made more of an effort, they would be able to retrieve the remains of our captives," the representative said.

Trump posted on his social media account on the weekend that measures would be taken if the remains of the deceased hostages were not returned quickly.

"Some of the remains are difficult to access, but others they can hand over now and, for some reason, they are not. Perhaps it has to do with their disarming," he said.

He continued: "Let's see what they do over the coming two days. I am monitoring the situation with great attention."

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On Sunday, the Israeli leader announced the country would determine which foreign forces it would allow as part of a proposed international force in Gaza to help maintain the ceasefire under the former president's initiative.

"We are in command of our safety, and we have also stated explicitly regarding foreign troops that we will determine which units are unacceptable to us, and this is how we function and will continue to operate," he said talking at the beginning of a cabinet meeting.

On Friday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio indicated "a lot of nations" had offered to be involved in the contingent - but added Israeli authorities would have to be satisfied with participants.

This appeared to be a reference to Turkey, amid reports Israel had rejected the nation's participation.

It was still uncertain, however, how such a force could be deployed without an understanding with the organization.

The Israeli military launched a military campaign in Gaza in following the incidents of October 7th, in which Hamas-led gunmen killed about twelve hundred people and captured 251 others as captives.

No fewer than 68,519 have been lost their lives in military actions in Gaza since then, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry.

Sheila Orozco
Sheila Orozco

A passionate local guide with over 10 years of experience in sharing Bergamo's rich history and hidden gems with visitors from around the world.