US downplays threat to Gaza ceasefire
New Delhi, Oct 16: The United States has sought to play down fears over the collapse of the fragile Gaza ceasefire after Hamas said it needed more time and specialist equipment to find the remaining bodies of Israeli hostages still missing in the enclave.
In a late-night call with reporters, senior US advisers said they did not believe Hamas had violated the ceasefire agreement, despite delays in returning the bodies of deceased hostages.
“We continue to hear from them that they intend to honour the deal,” one adviser said, adding that a mechanism was in place to facilitate the recovery and transfer of remains with the help of mediators. The advisers noted there was “understanding” that Hamas had fulfilled the first part of the peace plan, returning 20 living hostages and had also handed over several bodies as required. “Conversations with mediators remain positive,” they said, stressing that all parties were working to recover “as many bodies as possible,” reports BBC.
On Wednesday night, Hamas handed over two more bodies to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). The Israeli military identified the remains as those of Sergeant-Major Muhammad al-Atarash, 39, and Inbar Hayman, 27.
According to Israeli officials, 19 bodies of deceased hostages are still missing in Gaza. Hamas has confirmed the latest handover but said it has now returned all the remains it can access, citing the need for heavy machinery to retrieve others buried under rubble. “The recovery process could take weeks because of the scale of destruction in Gaza,” a senior US adviser acknowledged, adding that Turkish experts were expected to join the search effort and that rewards might be offered to Gazan civilians providing credible information.
Humanitarian concerns and aid restrictions
The dispute over the return of hostages’ bodies has threatened to derail the Gaza ceasefire and prompted Israel to scale back promised aid deliveries to the territory. UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher urged Israel to open more crossings into Gaza and allow the “massive surge of humanitarian aid” guaranteed under the first phase of the peace plan, reports the BBC. “Withholding aid from civilians is not a bargaining chip,” Fletcher wrote on X, calling on Hamas to “make strenuous efforts to return all the bodies of the deceased hostages.” Meanwhile, the key Rafah crossing between Egypt and southern Gaza remained closed on Thursday, though Israeli officials said “preparations are ongoing” for its reopening. Israel clarified that aid convoys would continue to enter Gaza only through alternate checkpoints for now. The BBC reported that inside Gaza, civilians have begun stockpiling food and essentials amid fears that the ceasefire could collapse. Prices have already surged as uncertainty grows over whether humanitarian supplies will resume.
Next steps in the peace process
As part of the first phase of the US-backed Gaza peace plan, Hamas was required to release 20 living hostages and the bodies of another 28. So far, the group has returned all live captives and nine bodies. US officials said discussions on the next phase, which envisions a technocratic Palestinian administration and a potential international stabilisation force involving “different Arab and Muslim countries” remain ongoing. They cautioned, however, that demilitarisation of Gaza would be “very complex.”
