Israel says it received body from Hamas as it indicates Rafah crossing could open

Israel says it received body from Hamas as it indicates Rafah crossing could open
Hamas and Islamic Jihad militants wait for Red Cross members in Gaza Strip, Dec 3, 2025.
Reuters

Israel received a body that Hamas said was one of the last two deceased hostages in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, as Israel said it would allow Gaza's gateway to Egypt to open once all hostages were returned.

A body has been transferred by the Red Cross to the Israeli military and will undergo forensic identification, a statement from the Israeli prime minister's office said.

Hamas also handed over remains on Tuesday, which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office later said were not of any hostage.

The handover of the last hostages' bodies in Gaza would complete a key condition of the initial part of U.S. President Donald Trump's plan to end the two-year Gaza war, which also provides for the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt to open in both directions.

OPENING OF CROSSING COULD ALLOW OUT THOSE NEEDING TREATMENT

COGAT, the Israeli military arm that oversees humanitarian matters, said the Rafah crossing would be opened in the coming days to allow Palestinians to cross into Egypt.

The decision to open the crossing for those seeking to leave Gaza was made in "full coordination" with those that have mediated between Israel and Hamas during the war, Israeli government spokesperson Shosh Bedrosian told reporters.

Egypt, along with Qatar and the U.S., has acted as a mediator

COGAT said it would be opened under the supervision of a European Union mission - a similar mechanism to that employed during a previous Gaza ceasefire agreed in January 2025.

Before the war, the Rafah crossing was the only direct exit point for most Palestinians in Gaza to reach the outside world and was a key entry point for aid into the territory. It has been mostly closed throughout the conflict.

BLOODSHED CONTINUES

Violence has tailed off since the 10 October ceasefire but Israel has continued to strike Gaza and conduct demolitions against what it says is Hamas infrastructure. Hamas and Israel have traded blame for violating the U.S.-backed agreement.

Medics at Khan Younis' Al-Kuwaiti Hospital said they recovered the bodies of five Palestinians, including two children, after an Israeli missile attack on Wednesday evening at an encampment in western Khan Younis.

The Israeli military said its strike in Khan Younis targeted a "Hamas terrorist", without providing further details. It said the attack came in response to an attack on its troops in Rafah earlier on Wednesday that wounded five soldiers.

Hamas said the Israeli attack was a "disregard to the ceasefire agreement," adding Israel had "full responsibility" for the consequences of the escalation.

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