JERUSALEM — Hamas has handed over additional bodies of deceased hostages to Israel, signaling limited progress after a series of setbacks since U.S. President Donald Trump unveiled his plan to end the Gaza war.
The transfer came after Israel announced it would cut by half the number of humanitarian aid trucks entering Gaza, saying Hamas had violated the ceasefire agreement by failing to deliver all the remains of hostages as promised under last week’s truce.
Israeli military officials confirmed that four coffins were received from the Red Cross at a meeting point in northern Gaza late Tuesday. The coffins were brought into Israel for forensic identification shortly before midnight. Hamas also acknowledged the handover.
“At this moment, the men are continuing to oversee the implementation of what was agreed upon regarding the handover of bodies as part of the agreement to end the war in Gaza,” Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem wrote on Facebook.
Despite the partial compliance, Israeli officials said it was unclear whether the latest transfer would lead to a full restoration of aid. They confirmed that only half the agreed number of trucks would be allowed in starting Wednesday, while plans to reopen Gaza’s southern border crossing to Egypt were being delayed.
The two-year Israeli offensive has left Gaza in ruins, with widespread famine affecting more than half a million Palestinians. Under the ceasefire, up to 600 aid trucks were expected to enter the enclave daily, but the restrictions have deepened the humanitarian crisis.
Meanwhile, Hamas fighters have reappeared in large numbers across Gaza, signaling renewed control following Israel’s partial troop withdrawal. Residents reported seeing hundreds of armed men deployed to key streets and checkpoints.
In a video circulated on Monday, Hamas fighters were seen executing seven men accused of collaborating with Israel in a Gaza City square, an act confirmed by a Hamas source. Reuters verified the location of the video through identifiable geographic features.
The militant group warned that it would no longer tolerate “violations of order” in Gaza and vowed to target collaborators, armed looters, and drug dealers.
Trump, who addressed Israel’s parliament on Monday declaring “the historic dawn of a new Middle East,” had earlier threatened Hamas with military action if it failed to disarm. “If they don’t disarm, we will disarm them. And it will happen quickly and perhaps violently,” he said at the White House on Tuesday.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated that the war would not end until Hamas surrendered its weapons and relinquished control of Gaza — demands the group has rejected.
The ceasefire followed the exchange of the last 20 living Israeli hostages for nearly 2,000 Palestinian detainees, though disputes persist over the return of 28 deceased hostages. Hamas has now handed over eight coffins, leaving at least 19 presumed dead and one unaccounted for.
Palestinian health authorities reported that Israeli drone strikes killed five people in eastern Gaza City and another airstrike killed one person near Khan Younis. Israel said its forces targeted individuals who crossed truce lines and approached its troops despite warnings.
The war began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas-led gunmen attacked Israel, killing about 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, according to Israeli tallies. Since then, Israel’s military campaign has killed at least 67,000 people in Gaza, with thousands more believed buried under rubble, according to local authorities. Gaza’s Civil Defence Service said it has recovered 250 bodies since the truce began.
Edgardo Hernal started college at UP Diliman and received his BA in Economics from San Sebastian College, Manila, and Masters in Information Systems Management from Keller Graduate School of Management of DeVry University in Oak Brook, IL. He has 25 years of copy editing and management experience at Thomson West, a subsidiary of Thomson Reuters.
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