Staff Reporter

The U.S.-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Hamas is under tension following the Israeli army chief’s declaration that the war will continue until the remains of all deceased Israeli captives are returned, even as an Egyptian team entered Gaza to assist the search.

The latest handover saw the remains of one more captive transferred to the Israeli military yesterday, but the bodies of 12 deceased Israeli captives are still believed to be held in the Gaza Strip.

Israel gave Egypt the green light to deploy heavy machinery and search teams into Gaza to aid in locating the remaining bodies, a task Hamas has described as extremely difficult due to the vast amounts of rubble from Israeli bombardment.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is also involved in facilitating the search and handover process.

The Israeli military’s top officer, Eyal Zamir, stressed that the war’s objectives are not yet met, insisting on the return of all remains before the conflict ends.

More than two weeks after the ceasefire came into effect, the humanitarian situation for Palestinians in Gaza remains dire, with the movement of aid heavily restricted by Israel in defiance of an International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruling.

The two-year war has claimed an immense human toll, with at least 68,527 people killed and 170,395 wounded in Gaza since October 2023, and 1,139 killed in Israel during the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led attacks.