By Nidal al-Mughrabi and Alexander Cornwell
CAIRO/JERUSALEM, Dec 3 (Reuters) – Hamas mentioned it should hand over a physique of a hostage on Wednesday, as Israel mentioned it could permit Gaza’s gateway to Egypt to open within the subsequent few days in order that Palestinians who want medical care might go away the war-ravaged territory.
The handover of the final two hostages’ our bodies in Gaza would full a key situation of the preliminary a part of U.S. President Donald Trump’s plan to finish the two-yearGaza struggle, which additionally entails the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt opening in each instructions.
Israel has saved the crossing shut because the ceasefire got here into impact in October, saying that Hamas should abide by the settlement to return all hostages nonetheless in Gaza, dwelling and deceased.
Because the fragile truce began, Hamas has returned all 20 dwelling hostages and 26 our bodies in trade for round 2,000 Palestinian detainees and convicted prisoners, however two extra deceased captives – an Israeli police officer and a Thai agricultural employee – are nonetheless in Gaza.
ISRAEL SAYS PREVIOUS ‘FINDINGS’ NOT LINKED TO HOSTAGES
The armed wing of the Hamas-allied Palestinian Islamic Jihad motion, the Al Quds Brigades, mentioned it had discovered a hostage physique afterconducting a search in northern Gaza, together with a crew from the Purple Cross.
Hamas mentioned it could hand over the stays at 5 p.m. native time (1300 GMT) on Wednesday. The group didn’t say which of the 2 remaining deceased hostages it believed it to be.
The 2 are Israeli police officer Ran Gvili and Thai nationwide Sudthisak Rinthalak, each kidnapped throughout Hamas’ October 7, 2023 assault on Israel that triggered two years of devastating struggle in Gaza.
Hamas had handed over stays on Tuesday to the Geneva-based Purple Cross, which has acted as an middleman between Gaza militant teams and Israel all through the struggle.
Israeli forces mentioned they despatched the stays, which they described as “findings” for forensic testing.
“The findings introduced yesterday for examination from the Gaza Strip are usually not linked to any of the deceased hostages,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s workplace mentioned in a press release on Wednesday.
OPENING OF CROSSING COULD ALLOW OUT THOSE NEEDING TREATMENT
COGAT, the Israeli army arm that oversees humanitarian issues, mentioned the opening of the Rafah crossing could be coordinated with Egypt, below the supervision of a European Union mission – the same mechanism to that employed throughout a earlier Gaza ceasefire agreed in January 2025.
There was presently no coordination between Egypt and Israel to reopen the Rafah crossing within the coming days, state-affiliated Al Qahera Information TV cited Egypt’s State Info Service as saying.
Earlier than the struggle, the Rafah crossing was the one direct exit level for many Palestinians in Gaza to succeed in the skin world and was a key entry level for support into the territory. It has been largely closed all through the battle.
Not less than 16,500 sufferers in Gaza require medical care outdoors of the enclave, in keeping with the United Nations. Some Gazans have managed to go away for medical remedy overseas by means of Israel.
BLOODSHED CONTINUES
Violence has tailed off because the October 10 ceasefire however Israel has continued to strike Gaza and conduct demolitions in opposition to what it says is Hamas infrastructure. Hamas and Israel have traded blame for violating the U.S.-backed settlement.
Well being officers at Al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza mentioned on Wednesday that two Palestinians had been killed by Israeli gunfire within the Zeitoun suburb of Gaza Metropolis. The Israeli army mentioned it was trying into the report.
Greater than 350 Palestinians have been killed because the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas went into impact, Gaza well being authorities say. Palestinian militants killed three Israeli troopers throughout this time, Israeli authorities mentioned.
(Reporting by Alexander Cornwell and Maayan Lubell in Jerusalem; Tala Ramadan, Nayera Abdallah, and Jana Choukeir in Dubai; Writing by Nayera Abdallah, Modifying by Clarence Fernandez, Aidan Lewis)