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Lebanon today
The Al-Qassam Brigades, the military arm of the Hamas movement, announced that it had discovered the body of an Israeli prisoner during its search operations inside a tunnel in the southern Gaza Strip, and stated that it intended to hand over the body today, but this matter was delayed due to what it described as “occupation violations.”
The Brigades warned that “any escalation” by Israeli forces would negatively affect the search, excavation, and exhumation operations, which could delay Israel’s recovery of the remains of its dead.
On the other hand, the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that the latter issued urgent instructions to the military level to carry out “strong strikes” in the Gaza Strip, after security meetings held on Tuesday.
Netanyahu had previously stated that handing over human remains that do not belong to any of the 13 Israeli hostages constitutes a “violation” of the ceasefire agreement. He pointed out that these remains belong to a prisoner whose body Israel had previously recovered during the war, stressing that he would meet with defense leaders to discuss “Israel’s next steps.”
For its part, the Hamas movement affirmed its continued commitment to the ceasefire agreement, and indicated that it is making efforts to find the remains of detainees held by various groups within the Gaza Strip, but at the same time, it stressed that the lack of specialized equipment to access and identify bodies hinders progress in this sensitive file.
This development comes amid escalating tensions related to the issue of prisoners and remains, which raises international concern about the possibility of the negotiation process collapsing and the return of widespread confrontations in Gaza.
