LONDON: The US has denied claims that Hamas is violating its ceasefire deal with Israel by failing to return all dead hostages, the BBC reported on Thursday.
Hamas has returned nine of the 28 bodies of dead hostages it holds, and said the remaining corpses are buried deep under rubble, requiring specialized equipment to extract.
Two senior advisers to US President Donald Trump said plans to demilitarize Gaza and install a transitional government remain underway despite the delay. They told reporters that the US government does not believe Hamas is violating the ceasefire.
Israel, responding to the delayed handover of the hostage bodies, limited pledged aid supplies to Gaza.
The level of destruction in the Palestinian enclave means that the recovery of all slain hostages could take weeks, one of the US advisers told the media.
Under the terms of the first phase of the US-brokered ceasefire, Hamas is required to return the remains of all 28 dead hostages.
The group’s armed wing said: “The remaining bodies require significant efforts and specialized equipment to search for and retrieve, and we are making a great effort to close this file.”
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz on Wednesday said the country’s military should be prepared to act if Hamas refuses to implement the deal.
Israel has agreed to exchange the bodies of 15 slain Palestinians for every dead Israeli hostage.
US denies claims Hamas violating ceasefire over hostage returns
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US denies claims Hamas violating ceasefire over hostage returns
- Group says it requires special equipment to extract bodies from under rubble
- Level of destruction in Gaza means recovery of all slain hostages could take weeks: Trump adviser
