Hamas accuses 'Israel' of hindering detainee and captive exchange
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Hamas has accused "Israel" of obstructing efforts to recover and hand over the remaining bodies of Israeli captives by blocking essential equipment and aid.
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Mourners walk near the car carrying the coffin of a deceased Israeli captive in occupied Palesyine on October 15, 2025. (AP)
The Palestinian Resistance movement, Hamas, has reiterated its full commitment to the ongoing ceasefire and detainee and captive exchange agreement, confirming its intent to hand over the remaining bodies of Israeli captives despite mounting logistical challenges.
In a statement, the movement explained that retrieving the remaining bodies requires specialized equipment for clearing rubble, tools currently blocked from entering Gaza due to Israeli restrictions.
This, Hamas said, is severely obstructing its ability to carry out critical humanitarian efforts.
Hamas also accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of deliberately stalling the agreement by failing to meet "Israel’s" obligations, thereby impeding the group’s ability to complete the recovery and transfer process.
The movement further condemned Netanyahu’s threats to delay the reopening of the Rafah crossing and to restrict humanitarian aid, calling such actions part of a broader “fascist policy” aimed at collectively punishing the Palestinian people.
The al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Hamas Resistance movement, announced on Wednesday evening that the Resistance has fully complied with the terms of the current agreement by handing over all living Israeli captives, as well as the bodies it could retrieve.
In a statement posted on its account on X, the al-Qassam Brigades said that “what remains of the bodies requires significant efforts and specialized equipment to locate and recover,” stressing that they are “exerting great effort to close this file.”
The statement came shortly before the scheduled handover of two bodies of Israeli captives in Gaza at 10 pm, as part of the Operation Al Aqsa Flood detainee and captive exchange deal.
For its part, the Israeli occupation army confirmed that the International Committee of the Red Cross is en route to a meeting point in Gaza to receive the remains of several Israeli captives killed during the conflict.
