Red Cross Assists Hamas in Recovery for Bodies of Captives in Gaza

A Red Cross official confirmed that its representatives accompanied Hamas officials into zones of Gaza still under Israeli military control to facilitate the search for the remains of Israeli hostages.

Truce Terms and Captive Bodies Return

As part of the truce negotiated by the United States, which took effect on 10 October, the group is required to hand over the remains of all Israeli hostages promptly. In exchange, the Israeli government has agreed to hand over 15 Palestinian bodies for each Israeli.

Hamas has so far returned the remains of fifteen of those taken hostage but none in the past five days, as some of those remains are believed to be in areas beyond the ceasefire boundary marking Gaza’s ceasefire.

ICRC Involvement as Neutral Intermediary

“Upon the appeal of the parties, the Red Cross joined a party to the conflict as the party looked for the bodies of the deceased past the IDF-designated ‘yellow boundary’,” said a representative for the organization.

The spokesperson continued: “Those involved to the conflict determined the modalities of the operation and delegated the Red Cross to serve as a impartial mediator. We was had no part in those negotiations.”

The official additionally explained: “The ICRC was not involved in the search for the deceased nor does it engage in the physical recovery of human remains.”

International Humanitarian Law and Duties

According to global legal norms, it is the responsibility of the sides involved in a hostilities to search for, collect, and recover the bodies of the deceased.

American Ultimatum and Regional Search Efforts

On Saturday, the American leader issued a 48-hour ultimatum to the militant group. “Hamas is going to have to start handing over the bodies of the deceased hostages, including American citizens, quickly, or the additional nations participating in this great peace will intervene,” he wrote on his social‑media platform.

When the two-day window neared, Hamas, joined by the Red Cross, joined Egyptian teams, who were granted permission by Israel to look for remains beyond the boundary marking the withdrawal of troops inside the territory. An official representative said the Egyptian team would use excavator machines and trucks in the operation.

Official Confirmation and Media Reports

This development was supported by an source within Israel, who told local press that Hamas representatives had been allowed to enter areas of Gaza under Israel Defense Forces (IDF) control to search for the remains of captives, together with Egyptian and ICRC personnel.

“To achieve this goal, representatives were allowed to pass the designated boundary,” the official was quoted as stating.

Video released by a media outlet seemed to show individuals of a specialized group – part of the organization’s armed faction tasked with holding hostages – escorting a Red Cross vehicle in a coastal area close to Rafah, which is beyond Israeli military control.

Challenges in Locating Hostage Remains

The search for the bodies of individuals taken captive has turned into one of the most sensitive matters in the ceasefire agreed between the parties. However, the attempt to locate the bodies has proved challenging from the outset, given the presence of an approximate 60m tonnes of rubble across the strip, where, according to local health authorities, at least ten thousand Palestinians are recorded as missing, buried under the rubble.

Diverging Claims on Body Location

Hamas has claimed it lacks information on the exact whereabouts of all the bodies, saying it has lost contact with a number of its teams that had been holding the captives and were allegedly eliminated during military strikes.

In contrast, an official representative asserted that Hamas knew the locations of the bodies. “Should the group made more of an effort, they would be able to recover the bodies of our captives,” the spokesperson said.

American Position and Disarmament Discussions

While the US president has acknowledged that some of the remains are hard to reach, he said that “others they can hand over immediately and, for unknown reasons, they are not.”

“This could be related to the surrender of weapons of the group,” he noted.

Washington has said it has obtained assurances from the organization that the group will surrender its arms, though no specific schedule has been established. They remains reluctant to give up its arms without solid assurances about the fate of its members.