Hamas said Wednesday it has returned to Israel the remains of all deceased hostages it could access, noting that more recoveries will require special equipment, as U.S. President Donald Trump said he may allow Israeli forces to resume fighting in Gaza if Hamas fails to honor the cease-fire deal.
"Israel will return to those streets as soon as I say the word. If Israel could go in and knock the crap of them, they’d do that," Trump was quoted as saying to CNN in a brief telephone call when asked what would happen if Hamas refused to disarm.
Hamas said it has handed back to Israel the remains of all the deceased hostages that it can reach, and that it will need special recovery equipment to reach more bodies promised under a cease-fire deal.
"The Resistance has fulfilled its commitment to the agreement by handing over all living Israeli prisoners in its custody, as well as the corpses it could access," the Palestinian resistance movement's armed wing said in a statement on social media.
"As for the remaining corpses, it requires extensive efforts and special equipment for their retrieval and extraction. We are exerting great effort in order to close this file."
More than 67,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have been killed in Israel’s genocidal war on the Gaza Strip since Oct. 7, 2023. Hostages have also been killed in indiscriminate Israeli attacks on the blockaded Palestinian enclave.
Many victims are still trapped under the rubble and on the roads as rescuers are unable to reach them.
