Hamas said Monday it would hand over the body of another Israeli hostage hours before the expiration of President Donald Trump's 48-hour ultimatum demanding the return of all deceased captives held in Gaza. The announcement came as members of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) accompanied Hamas units and Egyptian teams into areas beyond Israeli military control to search for the remains of hostages killed during the war.
"Within the framework of the Al-Aqsa Flood prisoner exchange deal, the Martyr Izz El-Din Al-Qassam Brigades will hand over the body of one of the occupation prisoners, which was recovered today in the Gaza Strip, at 9 PM Gaza time," Hamas said in a statement released through its military wing.
The ICRC confirmed that its staff accompanied Hamas during the operation "past the IDF-designated yellow line," the boundary separating Israeli-controlled zones from areas accessible to Palestinian forces. "The parties to the conflict determined the modalities of the operation and entrusted the ICRC to act as a neutral intermediary," ICRC spokesperson Sarah Davies told The Guardian. "The ICRC was not involved in the search for the deceased nor does it take part in the physical recovery of remains."
Under the U.S.-brokered ceasefire agreed on October 10, Hamas is required to return all Israeli bodies as soon as possible in exchange for Israel's release of 15 Palestinian bodies for each Israeli returned. Israeli and Red Cross officials confirmed preparations were underway Monday to receive the remains in the evening.
Hamas said it has returned 15 bodies so far but claimed others remain trapped beneath debris or in areas inaccessible after months of Israeli bombardment. Israeli officials disputed that assertion. "If Hamas made more of an effort, they would be able to retrieve the remains of our hostages," an Israeli government spokesperson said.
President Trump, who issued the 48-hour deadline Saturday, warned that "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." Writing on Truth Social, he added: "Some of the bodies are hard to reach, but others they can return now and, for some reason, they are not. Perhaps it has to do with their disarming, but when I said, 'Both sides would be treated fairly,' that only applies if they comply with their obligations."
U.S. officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, met over the weekend with families of American-Israeli dual citizens Itay Chen and Omer Neutra, both killed during the October 7, 2023 Hamas assault. Their remains are believed to be among those still held in Gaza. "We will not forget the lives of the hostages who died in the captivity of Hamas," Rubio posted on X. "We will not rest until their-and all-remains are returned."
According to Israeli and Palestinian media reports, Hamas's "Shadow Unit," which guarded hostages during the conflict, escorted Red Cross vehicles near Rafah in southern Gaza as part of Monday's search. Egyptian teams, authorized by Israel, used excavators and trucks to assist in locating remains buried under heavy rubble.
