Israel receives two bodies that Hamas says are Gaza hostages
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# Israel receives two bodies that Hamas says are Gaza hostages
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Ian Aikman
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Reuters
Hamas says it has been working to recover the remains of dead hostages beneath the rubble left by Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip
Israel has received two bodies from Gaza that Hamas says are hostages, the Israeli prime minister's office has said.
The remains, which were transferred via the Red Cross to Israeli forces, were transported to Israel and will be formally identified. Hamas earlier said the bodies had been recovered in the Palestinian territory on Saturday.
Prior to Saturday, the remains of 10 of 28 deceased hostages had been returned to Israel.
The delay has caused outrage in Israel, as the terms of last week's ceasefire deal stipulated the release from Gaza of all hostages, living and dead. Hamas says it has struggled to find the remaining bodies under rubble.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office has ordered the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt to remain closed until further notice, and said its reopening would be considered based on the return of the final hostage remains and the implementation of the ceasefire agreement.
The Rafah crossing is vital for Palestinians who need medical assistance to leave, and for thousands of others to return.
The IDF has stressed that Hamas must "uphold the agreement and take the necessary steps to return all the hostages".
But the US has downplayed suggestions that the delay amounts to a breach of the ceasefire deal, which President Donald Trump claimed as a major victory on a visit to Israel and Egypt last week.
The text of the deal has not been published, but a leaked version that was seen in Israeli media appeared to account for the possibility that not all of the bodies would be immediately accessible.
Hamas has blamed Israel for making the task difficult, as air strikes on Gaza have reduced many buildings to rubble, and Israel does not allow heavy machinery and