The fragile ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war was tested Tuesday as the slower-than-hoped return of deceased hostages from Gaza prompted an Israeli military agency to declare a “violation” of the truce agreement that it would respond to by halving the number of trucks allowed to bring humanitarian aid into the devastated territory.
Word of the cut in aid was transmitted to U.S. officials and international aid groups, according to three AP sources who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the matter. The Israeli government did not immediately comment.
A day earlier, Israelis celebrated the return of the last 20 living hostages in Gaza and Palestinians rejoiced at Israel's release of some 2,000 prisoners and detainees as part of the ceasefire's first phase.
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But now attention in Israel has turned to when Hamas will return all the bodies of hostages who died in captivity. While Israeli officials had understood there could be some delay in the recovery effort, the families of hostages and their supporters expressed dismay that only four of the 28 bodies were returned on Monday.
The Hostages Family Forum, a grassroots organization representing many of the hostage families, called it a “blatant violation of the agreement by Hamas.” The top official in Israel coordinating the return of hostages and the missing, Gal Hirsch, told the families in a note that pressure was being applied on Hamas through international mediators to expedite the process. A copy of the note was seen by The Associated Press and its authenticity was confirmed by someone with knowledge of the statement.
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In Gaza, the Health Ministry said Tuesday that the bodies of three people killed by the Israeli military in the northern part of the territory were taken to Al Ahli hospital. The Israeli military said troops there had “opened fire to remove the threat” of several people approaching them and not complying with orders to stop. It didn’t immediately comment on any casualties.
Under the ceasefire deal, Israeli forces pulled back to where they were in August, before launching their latest offensive on the Gaza City. The pullback leaves a number of hard-hit Palestinian neighborhoods under Israeli control, and Israel has warned residents not to try to return to homes there.
