Politics Report: Israel calls for progress on return of dead
The joy over the release of all 20 Gaza hostages still alive is increasingly mixed with resentment in Israel that only a few dead hostages have been returned.
14.10.2025, 10:42
SDA
It was clear that the Islamist Hamas might not be able to return all 28 dead hostages within the agreed deadline on Monday, wrote the news portal "ynet". But government representatives reacted with "shock and frustration" when only four coffins were handed over.
Israel had demanded "progress" on this issue by Tuesday evening at the latest, wrote the Times of Israel newspaper. No official details were initially released. Hamas also made no statement. However, sources close to Hamas said that machines and more time would be needed to rescue the victims.
However, the government in Jerusalem does not believe Hamas when it claims that it does not know where the dead are or that it cannot recover them in the heavily destroyed Gaza Strip. Rather, Israel assumes that the terrorist organization is holding back the dead as a means of exerting pressure for further negotiations, several Israeli media reported.
Defense Minister threatened with consequences
Defense Minister Israel Katz had already accused Hamas of breaking the ceasefire agreements on Monday and threatened consequences. However, it remained unclear what these might look like. Israel fulfilled its part of the obligation on Monday and released almost 2,000 Palestinians.
A relative of a dead hostage sharply criticized the Israeli government. Jael Adar, the mother of hostage Tamir Adar, accused the government of "betraying" the families. In the indirect negotiations with Hamas, Israel had failed to set an absolute deadline for the return of all the dead, she said on television, as reported by the "Times of Israel".
The dead also still have to be identified. In the past, Hamas had returned a fake body in one case.
The ceasefire agreement in the Gaza war stipulates that - in addition to the survivors - all dead hostages will be handed over.
