Netanyahu Allows Egyptian Team to Enter Gaza to Retrieve the Remains of Hostages

In a new development regarding the hostages between Israel and Hamas, Israeli media revealed that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu personally approved the entry of a specialized Egyptian team into the Gaza Strip to assist in retrieving the remains of Israeli hostages who are still there, following intense American pressure.

The Israeli Channel 12 reported that the decision came after repeated Israeli accusations against Hamas of procrastinating in handing over the remains of 13 remaining prisoners in Gaza, accusations that were reiterated by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Saturday.

The channel clarified that the Israeli approval came despite a previous rejection, as Tel Aviv believed that Hamas had sufficient means to locate the remains of the hostages on its own without external intervention.

The i24NEWS network quoted an Israeli security official saying that the approval came as part of intensive communications to return the remains of the hostages, indicating that the political levels in Israel approved the Egyptian request to bring in the team and the special equipment to Gaza, and that the team has actually entered the territory and started its tasks.

This step came after a meeting held by Marco Rubio on Saturday morning with the families of the deceased soldiers whose remains are held in Gaza, where he assured them that Hamas "shows no urgency in returning the remains," according to the Hebrew site "walla".

For his part, Netanyahu emphasized that his government is "committed to returning the remains of all hostages, and that the mission is not yet over," confirming the continuation of efforts in this sensitive humanitarian file.

A senior Israeli official stated to Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper on Friday that Hamas "holds the remains of eight deceased hostages, while the locations of five others remain unknown," adding that the movement "maneuvers and procrastinates in fulfilling its commitments under the ceasefire agreement, to avoid entering the second phase of the agreement which stipulates disarmament."

The official confirmed that "Israel is pressing hard on the issue of deceased hostages," noting that there is American understanding of the Israeli position, especially since among the deceased are American citizens.

This development comes while the first phase of the ceasefire agreement in Gaza, concluded on October 10, continues as part of U.S. President Donald Trump's plan.

According to the plan, Hamas will hand over the remains of 15 Israeli prisoners in exchange for Israel handing over 15 bodies of Palestinians.

So far, the movement has returned 15 bodies, while 13 others are still being searched for and retrieved.

In contrast, Hamas has previously stated that the process of extracting the bodies is "complex and takes time," given the significant destruction caused by the devastating war that has been ongoing for two years in the Gaza Strip.

While observers see the entry of the Egyptian team as a humanitarian step aimed at accelerating the retrieval of the remains, others describe the decision as a direct reflection of American pressure on Israel to close this file before moving on to the next phase of the agreement.