Israel threatens to return to war if Hamas does not return all the bodies of the hostages.

BarcelonaIsrael and Hamas blame each other for violating the ceasefire agreement. While Tel Aviv believes Hamas is not honoring the pact because it has not yet returned the 28 hostage bodies it had committed to, the Islamist group believes Israel is not honoring it because it has not yet allowed the full entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza and because of the attacks on the Strip, which have left at least 24 dead.

"The fight is not over," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said this morning. "But one thing is clear today: anyone who raises a hand against us already knows that they will pay a very high price for their aggression. We are determined to complete the victory that will shape the order of our lives."

The families of the hostages, who for months had demanded that the Israeli government stop the war, are now asking the government to break the ceasefire. They believe Hamas is violating the pact because it has not yet returned all the bodies that, according to the agreement, were supposed to be handed over during the first phase. "At a time when Hamas is violating the agreements and still holding 19 hostages, there is no room for Israel to take unilateral steps," the families said in a statement Thursday.

Hamas handed over two coffins containing the bodies of two other hostages on Wednesday night., in addition to the seven bodies it had previously handed over. The last two bodies were identified by Israel this morning as Inbar Hayman and Muhammad al-Atresh, aged 27 and 40 respectively. According to an army statement, Hayman—the last remaining woman kidnapped—was killed by the Islamist organization at the Nova festival on October 7, 2023, while Sergeant Major al-Atresh, a father of 13 children with two wives, was reportedly killed in combat.

With this handover, Hamas concluded the process of handing over the bodies it had located. As it had stated during the negotiations and reiterated in a statement on Wednesday, recovering the remaining bodies requires "special efforts and equipment." Because Gaza has been completely destroyed, the group claims they need heavy machinery and excavation equipment that Israel is blocking at the border. For its part, the Gaza Health Ministry confirmed this Thursday that it had received another 30 bodies of Palestinian captives that show "signs of abuse, beatings, handcuffs, and bandages."

While Hamas insisted on Wednesday that it "is complying with the agreed ceasefire," Israel denies it. And with that argument justifies blocking the entry of trucks loaded with humanitarian aid into GazaIn a statement on Thursday, the Israeli military aid agency COGAT said it was coordinating with Egypt to reopen the Rafah border crossing—likely on Sunday, according to the Israeli foreign minister—but that it would not allow humanitarian aid through. According to the agency, the passage of aid was not stipulated by the truce agreement at any point, but rather all humanitarian goods destined for Gaza would have to pass through Kerem Shalom, an Israeli-controlled crossing, after undergoing security inspections.

Trump's New Threat

Meanwhile, Israel killed at least two more Palestinians this Thursday, despite the ceasefire, according to health authorities in Gaza, controlled by Hamas. One person died this morning after an Israeli drone strike in the town of Bani Suheila, Khan Yunis, and two others were also injured. The second victim was reportedly shot two days earlier at the Science and Technology Institute in Gaza City and died in hospital.

But violence has also taken other forms in the Strip. In areas formerly occupied by Israel and vacated by the withdrawal of troops, Hamas has carried out a campaign of repression against groups it considers collaborators with Israel, through public executions and clashes with local armed clans. In this regard, Donald Trump has threatened that his troops will "enter [Gaza] and kill" Hamas members if the organization "continues killing people" in the Strip.

Meanwhile, hunger is dire in many areas of the Strip, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Tom Fletcher told Reuters. He is demanding that thousands of aid vehicles enter Gaza weekly to alleviate the crisis. Olga Cherevko, spokeswoman for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Gaza, said the Israeli government has notified the UN of a delay or reduction in the scale of aid operations because Hamas has not handed over the bodies of all the hostages.

The agreement stipulates that about 600 trucks should enter daily, although Tel Aviv says it will only allow 300 for now. As of Wednesday, 480 trucks entered Gaza, according to local authorities. Ismail al-Thawabta, head of the Hamas-run Gaza media office, said the amount of aid that has entered Gaza since the fighting subsided is a "drop in the ocean" of what is needed.