DaysofPal- Just one day after the European Union announced plans to resume its monitoring mission at the Rafah Crossing on Wednesday, the Israeli occupation authorities declared that the crossing will remain closed, following a recommendation from their security establishment to block aid entry and prevent the reopening of Rafah in line with U.S. President Donald Trump’s plan, until the bodies of Israeli captives held by Hamas are handed over.
This decision comes despite the EU’s announcement on Monday that its mission would return to Rafah to facilitate the entry and exit of civilians and aid under the first phase of Trump’s ceasefire framework.
According to Israel’s public broadcaster, Kan, there has been no official coordination with the Red Cross regarding the transfer of additional Israeli bodies, though Israel confirmed on Monday night that it had received four remains of its soldiers.
In contrast, Israeli forces today handed over 45 bodies of Palestinian martyrs through the International Committee of the Red Cross, which were transferred to Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis for identification before burial.
Israeli authorities are pressuring for the rapid recovery of 24 Israeli captives killed by their own army in Gaza, even as military analysts admit that finding all the bodies could take weeks or months, given the massive destruction caused by Israel’s genocidal campaign. As a result, an international mechanism is being established to coordinate search efforts for the remains.
The International Committee of the Red Cross said on Tuesday that recovering the bodies of Israeli captives killed by Israel’s military in Gaza will take time, describing it as an “immense challenge” due to the widespread devastation.
“This is even harder than releasing the living,” said Christian Cardon, spokesperson for the Red Cross. “It’s a grave challenge, it may take days, weeks, or they may never be found.”
Under the current agreement, the remains of 15 Palestinian martyrs will be exchanged for each Israeli body recovered from Gaza.
Over the past two years, Israel has withheld hundreds of Palestinian bodies, including those of captives executed under torture in its prisons, concealing their fate and identities.
The deal also provides for the daily entry of 600 humanitarian aid trucks, carrying food, fuel, and cooking gas, in accordance with the ceasefire agreement announced last Thursday by U.S. President Donald Trump, following indirect talks in Sharm el-Sheikh involving Turkey, Egypt, and Qatar, under American supervision.
Backed by the United States, Israel has waged a genocidal war on Gaza since October 8, 2023, killing 67,869 Palestinians and injuring 170,105 others, mostly children and women. The deliberate blockade has also caused a famine that killed 463 Palestinians, including 157 children.
