The Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, announced on Tuesday the postponement of handing over the body of one of the captured Israeli soldiers, which was scheduled for that evening.
The decision came in response to renewed Israeli violations, shortly after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the army to launch powerful and immediate attacks on the Gaza Strip.
🔸 Israeli Escalation After Security Consultations
According to the office of Netanyahu, the order to strike Gaza followed a high-level security meeting attended by:
- Yoav Gallant, Israeli Minister of War,
- Herzi Halevi, Chief of Staff, and
- David Barnea, head of the internal security agency Shin Bet (Shabak).
Following these talks, Netanyahu’s office released a statement saying:
“At the conclusion of the security consultations, the Prime Minister directed the military leadership to carry out strong and immediate strikes in the Gaza Strip.”
🔸 Israeli Media Narrative and Resistance Response
Israel’s Channel 12 claimed that “Hamas violated the ceasefire” on Tuesday, alleging heavy exchanges of fire between resistance fighters and Israeli forces in the Rafah area, including the firing of an anti-tank missile and sniper shots at Israeli soldiers.
In response, the Israeli army opened fire, with local media later reporting that one soldier was seriously wounded — while other outlets said he had been killed.
Following these incidents, Israeli media indicated that the army decided to expand the “yellow zone” and advance into areas outside its current control, with several possible targets being discussed “in coordination with the Americans.”
🔸 Al-Qassam: Ceasefire Violated, Delivery Suspended
In a statement on its official Telegram channel, the Al-Qassam Brigades confirmed that the delay in handing over the body came after new Israeli airstrikes on Rafah, describing them as a fresh breach of the ceasefire agreement.
The handover was originally scheduled for 8 p.m. local time (6 a.m. GMT) after the body had been recovered from one of Gaza’s tunnels.
Al-Qassam warned that any further Israeli escalation would obstruct ongoing search and recovery operations, potentially delaying the retrieval of Israeli soldiers’ bodies:
“Israeli aggression hinders excavation and recovery efforts, and will inevitably delay the occupation’s retrieval of its dead.”
🔸 Hamas: Israel Blocks Humanitarian Search Efforts
Hamas later issued its own statement, condemning the Israeli occupation for systematically obstructing humanitarian efforts to locate and recover the remains of both Israeli soldiers and Palestinian martyrs within Gaza.
The movement revealed that Israel had rejected requests for joint teams from the International Committee of the Red Cross and the Palestinian resistance to enter targeted areas for recovery operations.
It also banned the entry of heavy machinery required to remove rubble and recover bodies buried beneath the ruins.
Hamas said:
“The occupation’s claims that the resistance is slowing down this file are baseless lies meant to mislead public opinion. The Zionist entity fabricates excuses to justify new acts of aggression against our people, blatantly violating the ceasefire agreement.”
The statement urged international mediators and guarantors to “assume their responsibilities, confront Israel’s deception, and ensure that humanitarian operations proceed without political obstruction.”
🔸 Facts on the Ground
So far, Hamas has released 20 living Israeli captives and delivered 17 bodies out of 28 in total — most of them Israeli soldiers.
Tel Aviv, however, denied ownership of one body, claiming it did not belong to any of its captives.
Earlier on Tuesday, the Israeli occupation forces bombed several targets in Rafah, citing “retaliation for gunfire,” in yet another violation of the truce that came into effect on October 10.
According to Gaza’s Government Media Office, Israel has breached the ceasefire 125 times since its implementation — resulting in the martyrdom of 94 Palestinians, injury of 344 others, and the arrest of 21 civilians as of Tuesday.
🔸 Ongoing Israeli Obstruction
Hamas accused Israel of deliberately delaying the recovery of both Israeli and Palestinian bodies, maintaining its refusal to permit humanitarian teams into key sites in Gaza.
It also continues to block essential excavation equipment, hindering the search for its own soldiers as well as Palestinian martyrs still buried under the rubble.
Israel, for its part, has conditioned any progress in the second phase of negotiations on receiving the remaining bodies of its captives — while Hamas insists the process will take time due to the massive destruction across Gaza.
🔸 The Human Toll of Israel’s War on Gaza
According to the Gaza Government Media Office, 9,500 Palestinians remain missing, believed to be killed by Israeli bombardments, their bodies still trapped beneath the ruins.
Meanwhile, over 10,000 Palestinian prisoners — including women and children — are held in Israeli prisons, facing torture, starvation, and medical neglect. Many have died in custody, according to Palestinian and Israeli human-rights reports.
🔸 The Aftermath of the Two-Year Genocidal War
The ceasefire agreement, implemented under the plan proposed by U.S. President Donald Trump, ended a two-year Israeli genocidal war on Gaza that began on October 7, 2023, with Washington’s full support.
That war left behind:
- 68,531 Palestinian martyrs,
- 170,402 wounded, mostly women and children, and
- massive destruction estimated by the United Nations at $70 billion in reconstruction costs.
