Israel receives bodies of two hostages as Gaza ceasefire comes under pressure

By Ibrahim Dahman, Mitchell McCluskey, Lauren Izso, Jennifer Hansler, CNN

(CNN) — Israel received the bodies of two deceased hostages on Saturday as the Gaza ceasefire comes under growing strain.

The remains, which Hamas handed over to the Red Cross in Gaza, were transferred to Israel for formal identification, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and Israel Security Agency (ISA) said in a joint statement.

The truce in Gaza appears to be largely holding as it entered its second week, but has come under pressure from the delayed return of the remaining hostage bodies from Gaza, the initially slow entry of aid into the enclave, and Israel’s continued deadly strikes.

The US State Department said Saturday that “credible reports” indicate that Hamas is planning an “imminent ceasefire violation” against Palestinians in Gaza.

“This planned attack against Palestinian civilians would constitute a direct and grave violation of the ceasefire agreement and undermine the significant progress achieved through mediation efforts,” the media note said. “The guarantors demand Hamas uphold its obligations under the ceasefire terms.”

“Should Hamas proceed with this attack, measures will be taken to protect the people of Gaza and preserve the integrity of the ceasefire,” it said.

CNN has reached out to the White House for comment on the State Department’s memo.

Prior to Saturday, Hamas had only returned 10 of the 28 bodies of deceased hostages outlined in the ceasefire agreement with Israel that went into effect last week.

Protests have ignited in Israel as frustration intensifies over the delay in returning the bodies of the remaining hostages. In Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square, large crowds of demonstrators gathered on Saturday, urging the government to pressure Hamas to release the bodies.

Hamas has said that it handed over all of the hostage remains that it could access and that “extensive efforts and special equipment” would be needed to retrieve more. Israeli intelligence has assessed that Hamas may not be able to find and return all the remaining dead hostages in Gaza.

But Israel believes that Hamas does know the locations of some of the deceased hostages it claims are missing, according to two Israeli sources familiar with the matter. Israel’s foreign minister has accused Hamas of trying to use the hostages’ bodies as leverage.

Speaking to Channel 14 on Saturday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the war would end once all of the hostage bodies have been returned and Hamas is demilitarized.

“The war in Gaza will finally end when the terms of the agreement that was supposedly accepted are implemented, and this includes, first of all, Phase A – the return of all our hostages,” Netanyahu said. “Phase B also includes the disarmament of Hamas, or rather the disarmament of the Strip, and before that the disarmament of Hamas.”

Rafah crossing and crucial aid

As the dispute continues, the Rafah crossing will remain closed until further notice, Netanyahu’s office said on Saturday. The crossing is a crucial link between Egypt and Gaza, serving as the enclave’s lifeline for humanitarian aid.

Netanyahu’s office said that its opening would be dependent on how “Hamas fulfills its part in returning the hostages and implementing the agreed-upon outline.”

Hamas criticized the delayed reopening of the crossing as “a blatant violation of the terms of the ceasefire agreement.” The group also condemned Israel’s strikes on Gaza.

Despite the ceasefire, the Israeli military targeted a vehicle carrying 11 civilians, including several women and children, on Friday after it crossed a line that marks Israel’s control under the ceasefire agreement, Gaza’s Civil Defense spokesperson, Mahmoud Basal, told CNN.

After coordinating with the United Nations, Gaza’s civil defense recovered on Saturday nine bodies, including four children and three women. The bodies of two other children are missing, the civil defense said.

The Israeli military told CNN its troops “fired warning shots” after a “suspicious vehicle was identified crossing the yellow line” – a reference to the initial Israeli withdrawal line. The military said the “vehicle continued to approach the troops in a way that caused an imminent threat to them.”

This is a developing story and will be updated.

CNN’s Jennifer Hansler contributed to this report.

The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2025 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.