Daijiworld Media Network – Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv, Nov 3: Hamas announced on Sunday that it would hand over the bodies of three hostages to Israel, as both sides traded accusations of violating the fragile US-brokered truce that has largely paused two years of conflict.
Israel has been pressing Hamas to return the remains of 11 hostages, alleging delays in the process. Hamas, in response, said it was working under “difficult conditions” to recover scattered remains from multiple sites in Gaza.
The exchange dispute is one of several issues delaying full implementation of the ceasefire agreement, in force since October 10.
Earlier in the day, an Israeli airstrike in northern Gaza killed one man near a vegetable market in Gaza City’s Shejaia suburb. The Israeli military claimed the strike targeted a militant threatening its troops.
“There are still Hamas pockets in the areas under our control in Gaza, and we are systematically eliminating them,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said during a cabinet meeting in Jerusalem.
Meanwhile, Hamas accused Israel of repeatedly violating the ceasefire, while denying its own fighters had attacked Israeli soldiers.
Despite the truce easing much of the fighting, sporadic violence continues. Palestinian officials said Israeli strikes have killed 236 people in Gaza since the ceasefire, including nearly half in a single day of retaliatory action last week. Israel reported three soldiers killed in recent incidents.
Under the ceasefire terms, Hamas freed all 20 living hostages in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian detainees. The group also agreed to return the remains of 28 deceased hostages for the bodies of 360 Palestinian militants. So far, 17 of the Israeli bodies have been handed over.
The United States has stationed around 200 troops in southern Israel to help monitor the ceasefire and plan for a future international stabilisation force in Gaza — part of President Donald Trump’s broader peace plan.
US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Dan Caine, met Israeli military chief Eyal Zamir on Saturday to discuss the situation. Netanyahu said all Israeli actions in Gaza were reported to Washington, while Hamas accused the US of failing to ensure Israel’s compliance with the truce.
As tensions simmer, both sides face mounting pressure to maintain the ceasefire and prevent a return to full-scale hostilities.