Hamas has reaffirmed its commitment to the Gaza ceasefire agreement with Israel and said it remains determined to return all the bodies of Israeli hostages still buried under the rubble, accusing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of obstructing humanitarian efforts to recover them.
"The process of returning the corpses of Israeli prisoners may require some time, as some of these corpses were buried in tunnels destroyed by the occupation, while others remain under the rubble of buildings it bombed and demolished," Hamas said in a statement on Thursday.
The group said Netanyahu’s government bears full responsibility for any delays, adding that Israel continues to block the entry of recovery equipment and heavy machinery into Gaza.
"Extracting the rest of the corpses requires equipment and devices to remove rubble, which are currently unavailable due to the occupation’s restrictions," Hamas said.
"Netanyahu is hindering the resistance’s efforts and humanitarian mission to retrieve the remaining bodies," it added, stressing that Hamas "remains fully committed to the agreement and its humanitarian obligations."
The statement came after threats from Israel that it would resume its military offensive if Hamas failed to fulfil its commitments under the truce.
Earlier this week, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said the army had been ordered to prepare "a plan to crush Hamas" if the group does not comply with the ceasefire, which includes returning the bodies of deceased hostages.
Trump warns Hamas
US President Donald Trump also warned that forces "very close, very nearby" could enter Gaza "under US auspices" if Hamas fails to uphold the deal.
"I didn’t say who would go in, but somebody will go in. It’s not going to be us. We don’t have to. There are people, very close, very nearby that will go and they’ll do the trick very easily, but under our auspices," Trump told reporters at the White House.
"We have a commitment from them, and I assume they’re going to honour that commitment. I hope they do," he added, saying he understood that “some additional bodies” had been returned on Thursday.
The ceasefire, brokered by the United States, Türkiye, Egypt and Qatar, includes multiple phases covering the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners, as well as humanitarian access and reconstruction in Gaza.
