Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has warned that Israel will continue to fight Hamas with full force till the remains of all hostages are returned. Speaking at Jerusalem’s Mount Herzl cemetery during a memorial ceremony for victims of the Hamas-led attacks on October 7, 2023, Netanyahu said the war was far from over. He stated that Israel would fulfil all of its military objectives, including the complete disarmament of Hamas. “The struggle is not over, but one thing is clear today: Anyone who raises his hand against us already knows that he will pay a very heavy price for his aggression. We are determined to complete the victory, a victory that will shape the course of our lives for many years.”
Netanyahu has insisted that Hamas must disarm, warning that failure to do so would trigger a resumption of military operations. One of Israel’s primary goals is the demilitarisation of Gaza, which involves the destruction of weapons manufacturing facilities and halting the smuggling of arms into the territory.
According to reports, Israel has shared intelligence with the United States suggesting that Hamas has access to more of the hostages’ bodies than it claims. Axios reported on Thursday that Israel believed Hamas was not doing enough to recover and return the bodies of deceased Israeli hostages. Israeli officials have argued that the ceasefire deal cannot proceed to its next phase unless this situation is addressed.
Israeli and American officials are worried that hardline figures in Netanyahu’s coalition—particularly Ministers Betzalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben Gvir—may use the issue of the deceased hostages to undermine the ceasefire and advocate for renewed military action. A US official involved in the process told Axios, “Hamas will give all the bodies back, but it is going to take time. We will continue working on it, but we can’t allow the deal to collapse.”
Domestically, Netanyahu is under growing pressure from the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, which has called for the government to suspend the next phase of the ceasefire until the remains of the final nineteen hostages are returned. In an attempt to exert pressure on Hamas, the Israeli authorities have begun to reduce humanitarian aid flows into Gaza. COGAT, the Israeli military liaison body responsible for coordination with the Palestinians, reportedly informed the United Nations that aid deliveries would be halved due to what it described as Hamas’s delay in returning the bodies. However, this tactic has drawn sharp criticism from humanitarian agencies and international organisations. UN Humanitarian Chief Tom Fletcher warned that withholding aid from civilians as a pressure tactic was unacceptable and that the humanitarian needs of Gaza’s population should not be exploited in political negotiations. At the same time, he has appealed to Hamas to make every effort to retrieve and return the deceased.
While tensions continue to rise, senior United States officials have attempted to calm the situation and preserve the fragile truce. Two close advisers to President Donald Trump have stated that Washington does not believe Hamas has violated the ceasefire agreement, despite the delayed return of the hostages' remains. The US acknowledges that retrieving the remains is an extremely difficult task because of the extensive destruction and instability on the ground.
Senior American officials involved in the ceasefire process know that the 72-hour deadline for completing the process is nearly impossible. At the moment, the focus seems to be on setting up a reliable mechanism to recover the remaining bodies. Hamas has claimed that some of the areas where bodies are thought to be buried are currently inaccessible without specialist equipment. US officials have said that mediators will continue to work with both sides in good faith. Proposals under consideration include offering financial incentives to Gazan civilians in exchange for information about the burial locations. In addition, Turkish specialists are expected to take part in the ongoing search operations.
Meanwhile, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz has instructed the Israel Defence Forces to begin preparing for the possibility of renewed military operations in Gaza, should Hamas fail to meet its ceasefire obligations. This includes developing operational plans for the total defeat of Hamas in the event that it refuses to abide by the Trump administration’s proposed peace framework.
Hamas has maintained that the devastation in Gaza has made body recovery exceptionally difficult. Many of the areas in question remain inaccessible or require expertise and tools that Hamas currently lacks. Nonetheless, in accordance with the ceasefire agreement, Israel has continued to return the bodies of deceased Palestinians. A total of 120 bodies have been returned so far, including 30 in a single day earlier this week.
While the United States has tried to stabilise the situation diplomatically, Trump and top US military officials have also issued sharp warnings to Hamas. Admiral Brad Cooper, head of US Central Command, has described the ceasefire as a historic opportunity for peace and urged Hamas to cease all military activity. He stressed that complete disarmament was a core requirement of the agreement.
Trump has made it clear that continued violence will not be tolerated. “What’s going on with Hamas, that’ll be straightened out quickly. Israel will return to those streets as soon as I say the word.”
