Hamas Returns Hostage Remains as Fragile Truce Persists

Cairo: In a sign of the truce's precariousness, Hamas's military wing said it would transfer a hostage's body on Wednesday night, even as scattered clashes and air raids put pressure on the US-mediated ceasefire in Gaza.

The announcement came after the Israeli army said it had killed two Palestinians who approached an occupied area in what troops described as a threatening manner. Gaza health officials also reported a civilian killed while collecting firewood, events that have added to tensions despite the pause in heavy fighting.

Since the ceasefire took effect on October 10, Israel and Hamas have carried out a series of swaps involving living hostages, detainees and remains. Hamas has freed all 20 living captives held in Gaza in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and wartime detainees held by Israel.

The transfer of deceased hostages remains contentious. Hamas says the devastation across Gaza has made finding bodies harder, while Israeli authorities accuse the group of intentionally delaying returns.

Gaza health authorities report that Hamas has so far handed back 21 of 28 buried hostage remains in the enclave. In parallel, Israel has returned the bodies of 285 Palestinians killed since the conflict began in October 2023.

Although the scale of Israeli strikes has eased, intermittent shelling and air raids are still reported across the Gaza Strip. Calmer stretches have allowed thousands of displaced people to tentatively go back to ruined neighbourhoods and have eased the flow of humanitarian aid into the territory.

Israeli forces have also withdrawn from several urban positions, moving behind a yellow demarcation line that now loosely marks current lines of control.

The US-brokered truce remains fragile, with both sides urging Washington to press for stronger compliance and to deter further violations.

Amid a worsening humanitarian crisis, the ongoing exchanges of prisoners and remains provide a small but meaningful channel of contact between the combatants — a delicate thread helping to keep the ceasefire alive despite deep mistrust.