Israel has informed the Trump administration that Hamas is not doing enough to recover the bodies of dead Israeli hostages, warning that progress on the Gaza deal cannot move to the next phase until more remains are returned, according to Israeli and U.S. officials. The agreement requires Hamas to make a “maximum effort” to return the bodies of 28 hostages, including two Americans, but Israeli authorities say the group is falling short.
Over the past two days, Hamas returned five bodies, bringing the total recovered to nine, which temporarily eased tensions and prevented Israel from restricting aid trucks or closing the Egypt-Gaza border. Hamas has said additional recoveries will require “efforts and special equipment,” while Israeli officials contend 15 to 20 bodies could be recovered more quickly. U.S. officials emphasize that the deal cannot collapse, stressing that the recovery process will take time. Israel has provided the U.S. with new intelligence suggesting Hamas has access to more remains than it claims, and Trump advisers are encouraging Israel to share all information to push Hamas to recover more. The next phase of the deal, which would address Gaza’s governance, security, and disarmament, is expected to be difficult to negotiate without further progress on the hostage remains.
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