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Israel identified the body of the deceased hostage on Sunday morning Hamas Late Saturday night, the Red Cross was handed over the bodies of two people the militant group said were dead hostages.
Prime Minister benjamin netanyahu He said the body has been identified as Ronan Engel. The second body is still undergoing identification at Israel’s National Institute of Forensic Medicine. Engel, 54, was killed during the October 7 attack on Kibbutz Nir Oz Gaza Limit. In November 2023, his wife Karina and two of his three children were abducted and released under a ceasefire.
The move comes after Israel threatened to keep the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt closed “until further notice.” The statement from Netanyahu’s office said the reopening of Rafah would depend on how Hamas fulfills its ceasefire role of returning the remains of all 28 dead hostages.
Hamas has handed over the remains of 11 identified hostages. Israel has returned the bodies of 135 Palestinians To Gaza.
The handover of the remains is one of the key points in the ceasefire process aimed at ending the two-year war – along with aid deliveries to Gaza and the future of the devastated territory.
Opening of Rafah is a major issue
The Rafah crossing is the only crossing that was not controlled by Israel before the war. It has been closed since May 2024, when Israel took control of the Gaza Strip. The fully reopened crossing will make it easier for Palestinians to seek medical treatment, travel or visit family in Egypt, which is home to thousands of Palestinians.
On Sunday, the Palestinian Authority’s Interior Ministry in Ramallah announced procedures for Palestinians wishing to leave or enter Gaza through the Rafah crossing. For Palestinians who wish to leave Gaza, Palestinian embassy staff from Cairo will be at the crossing to issue temporary travel documents that allow entry into Egypt. Palestinians who wish to enter the Gaza Strip must apply to the Embassy in Cairo for the relevant entry documents.
More than 68,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s war in Gaza, according to the health ministry, which is part of the Hamas-run government in the territory. Its figures are viewed by United Nations agencies and many independent experts as reliable estimates of deaths during the war. Israel has disputed them without providing its toll.
Thousands more people are missing, according to the Red Cross.
Hamas-led militants killed nearly 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducted 251 in an attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, sparking the war.
Hamas says discussions have begun regarding the second phase of ceasefire talks
Hamas said it was discussing with mediators an arrangement to start talks on the second phase of Trump’s plan to end the war in Gaza.
Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem said in a statement late Saturday that a second round of talks “requires national consensus.”
He said Hamas had begun discussions to strengthen its position on the issues, but did not provide further details.
According to Trump’s plan, the second phase of talks involves disarming Hamas and establishing an internationally backed authority to run the embattled Gaza Strip.
Qassem reiterated that the group would not be part of the ruling authority in Gaza after the war. He said that Hamas-run government bodies in the Gaza Strip are carrying out day-to-day work to avoid power shortages.
He said, “Government agencies in Gaza continue to perform their duties, because the vacuum is very dangerous, and this will continue until an administrative committee is formed and all Palestinian factions agree on this.”
Qassem called for the prompt establishment of the Community Assistance Committee, a body of Palestinian technocrats to run everyday affairs.
US accuses Hamas of planning attacks against Palestinians in Gaza
The US State Department said on Saturday it has credible reports of an imminent planned attack by Hamas against residents of Gaza.
“This planned attack against Palestinian civilians would be a direct and serious violation of the ceasefire agreement and undermine the significant progress achieved through mediation efforts,” it said in a statement.
There was no immediate comment from Hamas on the State Department statement. However, the Interior Ministry, which is part of the Hamas-run government, said its forces were working to restore law and order in areas where Israeli forces had withdrawn to observe the ceasefire.
Hamas-led fighters clashed with at least two armed groups in eastern Gaza city, which Hamas alleges are involved in aid looting and collaborating with Israel. He publicly executed a handful of suspects in widely condemned street killings. ,
Magee reported from Cairo.