Journalism of Courage
Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz said on Monday that Hamas’s plan to return the bodies of four hostages falls short of what was agreed in the current ceasefire deal.
Earlier, Hamas’s military wing confirmed the names of the four hostages whose bodies it said would be handed over to Israel later in the day. They were identified as Guy Illouz, Yossi Sharabi, Bipin Joshi and Daniel Peretz, according to Reuters.
Katz wrote on X that Hamas’s action represented a “failure to meet commitments,” warning that “any delay or deliberate avoidance will be considered a gross violation of the agreement and will be responded to accordingly.”
Under the terms of the truce, all 48 hostages are to be released from Gaza within 72 hours of the Israeli military’s redeployment including 20 believed to be alive and 28 confirmed dead.
Hamas has previously said that recovering some of the bodies could take more time because not all burial sites have been located.
US President Donald Trump, who helped broker the ceasefire, has urged both sides to fully honour the agreement to prevent renewed conflict.
