Hamas using slain hostages’ bodies as ‘bargaining chips’ – report

Israeli officials say Hamas “has precise information” about the hostages’ burial sites but is withholding the bodies for strategic leverage over Israel.

By World Israel News Staff

The Hamas terror organization knows the locations of most of the deceased hostages’ bodies but has so far refused to return them to Israel — in direct violation of the Trump-brokered ceasefire — and is reportedly keeping the remains as “bargaining chips” to gain leverage over the Jewish state.

According to a report by the Hebrew-language outlet Walla, senior Israeli intelligence and military officials doubt Hamas’ claim that it is unaware of the locations of the remaining 18 hostages in Gaza.

Among the dead are two foreign nationals, two Israeli-American citizens, and an IDF soldier killed in 2014 during Operation Protective Edge.

Israeli officials reportedly told international mediators that they are confident Hamas “has precise information about the location of the bodies” and is deliberately withholding them for strategic reasons.

In response, Israel has shuttered the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt and will reportedly refuse to reopen it until the bodies of all deceased hostages are returned.

Walla reported that Israel has proposed three possible mechanisms for the repatriation of the bodies.

The first is that Hamas could turn the bodies over to the Red Cross, which would then transfer them to Israel. Alternatively Hamas could share the coordinates with a third-party international peacekeeping force to recover and return the remains.

The final option would see the U.S. and Israel operating in tandem inside the Gaza Strip, allowing the IDF to retrieve the bodies directly.

The terms of the ceasefire agreement require Hamas to return the hostages’ remains, though no firm deadline was set for that process.

In a recent interview with CBS News‘ “60 Minutes,” Jared Kushner — one of the architects of the Abraham Accords who helped broker the current ceasefire — said he believed Hamas was acting “in good faith” and making efforts to locate the bodies.

“We have seen [Hamas] looking to honor their agreement,” Kushner said.