Hamas reaffirmed its commitment to the Gaza ceasefire Thursday, working to return all remaining Israeli hostages’ bodies despite destroyed tunnels, rubble, and restricted recovery equipment.
“We confirm our commitment to the agreement and our keenness to implement it, including the delivery of all remaining bodies of the Israeli captives,” the Palestinian group said in a statement on Telegram.
A dispute over the return of hostages' bodies held by Hamas threatens to derail the truce and other unresolved elements of the plan, including disarmament of militants and Gaza’s future governance.
Israeli government spokesperson Shosh Bedrosian told reporters Israel remained committed to the agreement and continued to uphold its obligations, demanding Hamas return the bodies of the 19 deceased hostages it had not handed over.
The Islamist faction has handed over 10 bodies but Israel said one was not that of a hostage.
The armed wing of Hamas said the handover of more bodies in Gaza, reduced to vast tracts of rubble by the war, would require the admission of heavy machinery and excavating equipment into the Israel-blockaded Palestinian enclave.
On Thursday, a senior Hamas official accused Israel of flouting the ceasefire by killing at least 24 people in shootings since Friday, and said a list of such violations was handed over to mediators.
"The occupying state is working day and night to undermine the agreement through its violations on the ground," he said.
The Israeli military did not immediately respond to the allegation of violating the ceasefire.
It has previously said some Palestinians have ignored warnings not to approach Israeli ceasefire positions and troops "opened fire to remove the threat".
After local health authorities said an Israeli airstrike in Khan Younis in southern Gaza killed two people, the Israeli military said its forces fired at several individuals who emerged from a tunnel shaft and approached troops, describing them as posing an immediate threat.
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Iran on Saturday denounced U.S. plans to announce new sanctions that could put further strain on the Islamic Republic's economy and have an impact on its most important trading partners including China.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Monday that Kyiv wants peace but will not surrender to Russia, as foreign leaders joined Independence Day events marking 35 years since Ukraine’s independence.
A newly created pro-government political party has secured a commanding victory in Kazakhstan's snap parliamentary election, according to exit polls, strengthening President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev's influence at a pivotal moment in the country's political transition.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has rejected calls for a wartime election, arguing that holding a vote while Russia's full-scale invasion continues would divide the country and undermine national unity.
Only four commodity vessels crossed the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday, following 13 transits a day earlier, as disruptions continue to restrict traffic through the key energy chokepoint.
Syrian and Israeli officials held U.S.-brokered talks in Jordan on Sunday to ease tensions after an Israeli strike on a Syrian airbase near Türkiye last week.
Kazakhstan has elected its first unicameral Kurultai, bringing into force a sweeping political overhaul launched less than a year ago. The vote marks a major step in implementing the country’s new Constitution.
Uzbekistan is looking to Singapore as it builds a fintech ecosystem designed to attract global investment, technology companies and talent.
Only four commodity vessels crossed the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday, following 13 transits a day earlier, as disruptions continue to restrict traffic through the key energy chokepoint.
Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan have moved to deepen their strategic partnership, with President Ilham Aliyev’s state visit focusing on political ties, education, culture and stronger links between Central Asia and the South Caucasus.
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