Egyptian authorities and Red Cross Join Search for Hostage Remains in Gaza Strip

International machinery crosses into the Gaza Strip
International equipment crosses into the Gaza territory

Teams from Egypt and the ICRC have been authorized to search for the bodies of deceased hostages taken during the 7 October attacks, Israeli authorities have confirmed.

The Israeli government announced that the teams have been allowed to search past the so-called "demarcation line" in the region under the control of Israeli forces in Gaza.

The group has transferred fifteen out of 28 deceased Israeli hostages under the first phase of a American-mediated ceasefire deal, which requires it to transfer all hostage bodies. The organization said it is now working together with Egyptian authorities.

The former US president has warned the organization to start return the remains "promptly, or the other countries involved in this great peace will take action".

An Israeli spokesperson indicated the crew from Egypt has been authorized to work with the Red Cross to locate the remains, and would use digging equipment and vehicles for the search past the "yellow line".

The "demarcation line" indicates the border running along the northern, southern and eastern of Gaza that Israeli forces withdrew to, as part of the first stage of the ceasefire deal.

Previously, Israeli authorities has not approved the access of such teams.

The Egyptian government, along with Qatari officials and Turkey, is a key signatory of the mediated by Trump peace initiative for Gaza, which was signed in the coastal city of Sharm el-Sheikh earlier this month.

The news will be greeted positively by relatives, desperate to give them a proper burial.

Captive situation in Gaza

The ICRC has already been heavily involved in the return of captives.

Hamas does not transfer its detainees - alive or deceased - straight to the Israel Defense Forces, but rather to the Red Cross, which in turn escorts them through Gaza and hands them on to the Israeli military.

But the arrival of digging crews from Egypt inside the Gaza territory is new.

After more than two years of heavy shelling by Israel, the UN calculates that as much as eighty-four percent of the territory has been reduced to rubble.

Hamas says it is doing its best to recover hostage bodies, but it faces difficulty finding them under debris of buildings bombed out by the Israeli military in Gaza.

It is now working in coordination with the Egyptian authorities.

On the weekend, an official representative stated that Hamas was aware of where the remains were.

"If Hamas put in greater work, they would be able to recover the bodies of our hostages," the spokesperson commented.

The former president shared on his Truth Social platform on Saturday that measures would be taken if the remains of the deceased hostages were not returned quickly.

"Some of the remains are difficult to access, but others they can hand over at present and, for unknown reasons, they are not. Maybe it has to do with their demilitarization," he said.

Trump added: "Let's see what they accomplish over the coming two days. I am watching this with great attention."

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On Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the country would determine which foreign forces it would allow as part of a planned multinational contingent in Gaza to help secure the truce under the former president's initiative.

"We are in command of our security, and we have also stated explicitly regarding foreign troops that Israel will determine which forces are not acceptable to us, and this is how we operate and will proceed," he said speaking at the beginning of a cabinet meeting.

On the end of the week, the American diplomat said "numerous nations" had offered to be part of the force - but noted Israeli authorities would have to be satisfied with participants.

This seemed like a reference to Turkey, amid reports Israel had rejected the nation's participation.

It was still uncertain, however, how such a force could be deployed without an agreement with the organization.

The Israeli military launched a military campaign in the territory in response to the incidents of October 7th, in which Hamas-led gunmen killed about twelve hundred people and took 251 others as captives.

At least 68,519 have been lost their lives in Israeli attacks in the region from that time, according to the territory's health authorities under the group's control.

Omar Pope
Omar Pope

A dedicated gamer and tech enthusiast with over a decade of experience in the gaming industry, sharing insights and reviews.