Hamas has delivered the body of the 12th deceased hostage after US President Donald Trump mounted pressure on the group to speed up the process of exchange.
Israeli forces on late Monday night informed that they received the remains of another deceased hostage and brought them to Israel. The body was transferred to Israel after Hamas officials handed it to the Red Cross, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said in a separate statement.
The slow-paced return of the hostage bodies has angered much of Israel, which has constantly demanded that the process must be completed within a specific timeframe. Yet, Hamas has said that they have no clue about some of the hostages who were killed by the Israeli airstrikes along with their guardians; the group are only intensifying efforts to trace them.
Israel accused Hamas, saying, “They know exactly where every one of the deceased hostages is held. Two weeks have passed since the deadline set in the agreement for the return of all 48 hostages," the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said in a social media post on Monday.
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Meanwhile, Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem said claims that the group knew the location of the remaining missing bodies were "false", as Israel's bombardment of Gaza during the more than two years of conflict had left locations unrecognisable.
Though he said, “The group remains committed to completing the first phase of the ceasefire agreement to prevent the occupation (Israel) from finding any pretexts.”
"We are determined to hand over the bodies of the Israeli captives as soon as possible," he said. Egypt sent a team of experts and heavy earth-moving equipment into Gaza on the weekend, with Israeli approval, to help with the recovery operation.
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