DaysofPal – Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem affirmed on Wednesday that the handover of the body of an Israeli soldier by the movement marks a continuation of Hamas’s firm commitment to completing the prisoner-exchange process in full. He stressed that despite the immense challenges facing Gaza, the movement is exerting continuous efforts to advance the exchange track and bring it to completion.
Qassem added that, in return for this commitment, mediators are expected to intensify pressure on Israel to uphold its obligations, chief among them the implementation of a ceasefire in Gaza and halting ongoing violations. According to him, Hamas has fulfilled its part while Israel continues to delay or condition progress on additional demands.
On Tuesday, the al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas’s military wing, in coordination with the Saraya al-Quds of Islamic Jihad, handed over the body of an Israeli captive in line with the provisions of the “Al-Aqsa Flood” agreement.
The Israeli military confirmed that a team from the International Committee of the Red Cross received the body in central Gaza, following an earlier announcement by al-Qassam that the transfer would take place at 4 p.m. Gaza time.
Israel claims that the remains of two captives, including one Thai worker, are still in Gaza. Hamas, however, asserts that it has already handed over all 20 Israeli captives who were alive as well as the remains of all 28 captives who were killed.
Israel continues to condition the start of negotiations on launching the second phase of the ceasefire agreement upon receiving all bodies of Israeli captives. Under the current arrangement, for every set of remains returned, Israel releases the bodies of 15 Palestinians killed during what many Palestinians describe as a genocidal war on Gaza, whose bodies Israel continues to hold.
Most of the Palestinian bodies returned in recent exchanges showed signs of severe torture, starvation, medical neglect, and, in some cases, death by strangulation, according to Palestinian officials and rights groups.
Beyond those recovered, Gaza’s Government Media Office reports that approximately 9,500 Palestinians remain missing, believed to be buried under the rubble of destroyed neighborhoods following Israeli military operations.
In addition, more than 10,000 Palestinian prisoners, including women and children, remain in Israeli prisons, where they face harsh conditions ranging from torture and food deprivation to medical neglect. Rights organizations have documented multiple deaths inside Israeli detention facilities since the start of the war.
In this context, Qassem emphasized that Hamas’s latest handover should serve as a clear signal: the movement, he said, is upholding its commitments, while Israel must be compelled to honor its obligations toward a comprehensive ceasefire and a complete exchange agreement.
Shortlink for this post: https://daysofpalestine.ps/?p=69759
