Reuters/CCTV. Hamas handed over two more bodies of hostages while Israel released 45 remains of Palestinian detainees through the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) on Wednesday under a ceasefire and prisoner exchange deal now in its sixth day.
Israel on Wednesday night received the two bodies handed over by Hamas through the ICRC in Gaza, the Israeli prime minister's office said, adding the two coffins would be escorted into Israel for forensic identification in Tel Aviv.
So far, Hamas has transferred 10 bodies of hostages to Israel and have yet to release the remaining 10.
Hamas' military wing, al-Qassam Brigades, said in a statement that the group "has fulfilled its commitment to the agreement by handing over all living Israeli prisoners in its custody, as well as the corpses it could access." It said that to recover the remaining bodies would require "extensive efforts and special equipment."
Gaza-based health authorities confirmed in a statement the return of the remains of 45 Palestinian detainees. One day before, Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza's Khan Yunis announced it had received the bodies of 45 Palestinian detainees. To date, Israel has transferred a total of 90 bodies.
The return of the bodies came after the transfer of the last 20 surviving hostages from Gaza to Israel and the release of about 2,000 Palestinian detainees and prisoners, marking a key phase in the Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal brokered by the United States.
U.S. President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he would consider allowing Israeli troops to resume military action in Gaza "as soon as I say the word" if Hamas refuses to uphold its end of the ceasefire deal.
One day earlier, he threatened to disarm Hamas quickly and perhaps violently if Hamas fails to disarm themselves.
