Israel Receives Another Hostage’s Body as Red Cross and Egyptian Teams Step Up Gaza Searches

Overview

• The handover lifts the total to 16 of the 28 bodies pledged under the U.S.-mediated ceasefire, with recovery efforts ongoing in areas including Rafah, Khan Younis and Gaza City.
• Israel authorized an Egyptian technical convoy and ICRC personnel, plus a Hamas liaison, to cross the IDF “yellow line” and deploy heavy machinery to uncover remains beneath rubble.
• Hamas cites devastated terrain and lost burial information for slow returns, while Israeli officials contend the group knows the locations of additional bodies.
• Defense Minister Israel Katz ended the two-year internal emergency for southern communities near Gaza, marking a shift in Israel’s security posture.
• Talks on a multinational stabilization presence continue as Netanyahu says Israel will vet any contributors and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio describes a goal of gradual demilitarization; roughly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners were freed in the swap, with about 9,000 still in Israeli custody.