DaysofPal – A joint team from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, has begun a field inspection mission to locate the body of an Israeli captive inside the “Yellow Line” area in Beit Lahiya, northern Gaza.
The effort comes shortly after Palestinian resistance groups announced they had successfully recovered the bodies of seven Israeli captives from areas inside the Strip that remain under direct Israeli military control.
Teams moved between Jabalia refugee camp and Beit Lahiya’s housing project as they searched for the missing captive’s remains, reaching the Yellow Line, an area devastated by recent Israeli military operations.
Their work was hindered by extensive destruction; piles of debris from months of bombardment blocked roads and forced ICRC crews to halt repeatedly until rubble could be cleared.
These field developments coincided with reports published by the Israeli outlet Walla, quoting a security source who said Israeli political and security officials informed the United States in closed-door meetings that Tel Aviv would not move to the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement before the return of all captives.
According to the report, Israel is applying pressure through Washington and regional mediators to compel Hamas to hand over the remaining bodies it holds. However, sources said no progress or new information had emerged regarding the missing remains.
The source added that Israel’s options are currently limited and that Washington is unlikely to permit a resumption of large-scale military action to pressure Hamas, particularly as the U.S. administration is pushing to advance into the next phase of the agreement.
Separately, the Gaza Ministry of Health announced on Monday that it had buried 15 unidentified individuals whose bodies had been held by Israeli authorities, after efforts to identify them failed.
As part of the prisoner-exchange mechanism outlined in the Gaza ceasefire agreement, which took effect on October 10, Israel has handed over dozens of bodies in exchange for Palestinian resistance groups returning the remains of Israeli captives.
Last Wednesday, the ministry confirmed it had received the bodies of 15 Palestinians previously held by the Israeli army, raising the total number of returned bodies to 345. Of these, only 99 have been successfully identified so far.
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