Israeli official: Hamas steps up efforts to return bodies of hostages under deal

Axios quoted a senior Israeli official as saying there remains a possibility that Hamas could return the bodies of Israeli hostages who were killed during the war in the coming hours.

The official said Israel has observed an intensification of Hamas’s efforts in recent hours regarding the return of the bodies, and that Tel Aviv has made clear through mediators that handing over the hostages’ bodies is an essential part of the ceasefire agreement being negotiated.

He added, “Hamas will find it difficult to claim it does not know the whereabouts of the bodies of the killed hostages,” signaling growing pressure on the movement over the issue.