Hamas says return of Israeli hostages’ bodies may take time

Hamas says the return of the bodies of Israeli hostages will take time, saying some are buried in destroyed tunnels and others under bombed buildings.

Hamas claimed Thursday that the return of the bodies of Israeli hostages could take time, as some were buried in tunnels destroyed by Israel, and others remain under the rubble of buildings bombed and destroyed by Israel, adding that the group remained committed to the Gaza agreement and eager to hand over all remaining bodies of hostages held in Gaza.

Recovery of the remaining bodies required equipment to remove the rubble, which is currently not available due to Israel’s ban on the entry of such tools, Hamas added.

Israel will continue to refuse to allow a Turkish delegation of 81 rescue workers and heavy equipment into the Gaza Strip until Hamas returns all remains of the deceased hostages wherever possible, an Israeli official said. The Jerusalem Post THURSDAY.

“The bodies of a group of hostages that Hamas can return immediately”

“There is a group of hostage bodies that Hamas can return right now [and] “There is another group whose location they know, but they need equipment and assistance to recover them,” another source said. “And there are some bodies that they really don’t know where they are.”

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said Thursday: “We know for sure that Hamas can easily release a significant number of hostages in accordance with the agreement. What they are doing now is a fundamental violation of this agreement.”

Amichai Stein contributed to this article.