Hamas Returns More Hostage Remains as Israel Halves Aid Amid Ceasefire Tensions
In a tentative step forward amid mounting challenges, Hamas transferred additional bodies of deceased Israeli hostages to Israel on Tuesday, following U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent outline for resolving the Gaza conflict.
The handover came hours after Israel declared it would slash humanitarian aid entering Gaza by half, citing Hamas’s breach of a ceasefire provision mandating the release of hostage remains. This measure, set to take effect Wednesday, limits the daily influx of aid trucks to roughly 300, exacerbating a crisis that demands at least 600 for basic relief in the war-torn enclave.
At the same time, Hamas security personnel flooded Gaza’s streets with hundreds of fighters, reestablishing their grip on urban zones vacated partially by Israeli forces last week. The group publicly executed several individuals accused of aiding Israel, underscoring their intent to clamp down on dissent.
Complicating matters, Trump issued a stark ultimatum to Hamas during a White House address, warning of swift military action if the group refuses to relinquish its arms. “If they don’t disarm, we will disarm them. And it will happen quickly and perhaps violently,” he stated, echoing remarks he delivered to Israel’s Knesset the previous day.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has insisted that hostilities cannot conclude without Hamas surrendering its weaponry and yielding governance of Gaza—a stipulation the militants have firmly rebuffed.
The fragile truce, forged after over two years of fighting sparked by Hamas’s October 7, 2023, assault that claimed about 1,200 Israeli lives and saw 251 hostages seized, appeared to brighten briefly on Monday. Trump hailed a “historic dawn of a new Middle East” as the final 20 living Israeli captives were swapped for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners.
Yet unresolved issues persist, particularly the return of 28 presumed-dead hostages. Hamas has now delivered eight sets of remains, with at least 19 more believed lost and one still missing in Gaza.
Late Tuesday, the Israeli military confirmed receipt of four coffins via the Red Cross at a northern Gaza rendezvous. Escorted across the border before midnight local time (2100 GMT), the remains headed for forensic analysis. Hamas corroborated the exchange, with Gaza-based spokesman Hazem Qassem posting on Facebook: “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.”
Uncertainty lingers over whether this gesture will prompt Israel to reinstate full aid flows or expedite the southern crossing to Egypt for wounded evacuations. Israel’s two-year campaign has devastated Gaza, leaving Gaza City and environs in rubble and half a million residents grappling with famine-like conditions.
Hamas, which captured Gaza in a 2007 civil war, wasted no time reclaiming territory post-truce. Residents reported a surge in fighter presence along aid corridors. A video circulating Monday depicted Hamas gunmen marching seven bound men into a Gaza City plaza, kneeling them, and executing them at close range before a crowd of onlookers. A Hamas insider verified the footage’s authenticity to Reuters, which geolocated the site via landmarks.
ALSO READ : Pakistan Launches Airstrikes on Kabul After Fierce Border Clashes; Dozens Killed, 48-Hour Ceasefire Reached
Trump had earlier endorsed a provisional Hamas role in stabilizing Gaza, though Israeli leaders have stayed mum on the fighters’ resurgence. Palestinian security sources reported dozens slain in factional skirmishes recently.
Further violations marred the day: Israeli drones struck five Palestinians inspecting homes east of Gaza City, while an airstrike near Khan Younis killed one and wounded another, per Gaza health officials. Hamas decried these as truce breaches; the Israeli military countered that troops targeted those ignoring warnings and breaching buffer zones.
Hamas insiders informed Reuters that the group would brook no further disorder, vowing crackdowns on collaborators, looters, and traffickers.
Since the ceasefire’s onset, Gaza’s Civil Defence Service has unearthed 250 bodies from debris. Local authorities tally at least 67,000 war dead, with untold numbers buried under ruins from Israel’s response to the initial incursion.