Islamic Jihad withholding hostage body in violation of deal, Israel says

Prime Minister Netanyahu blasts Islamic Jihad for not returning the body of hostage recovered during searches in Israeli-controlled area, says it’s the latest violation of the Gaza ceasefire.

By World Israel News Staff

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror organization of violating the Gaza ceasefire treaty by withholding the body of a hostage recovered from central Gaza Monday.

On Monday night, Palestinian Islamic Jihad issued a statement announcing that it had recovered the remains of one of the three remaining hostages still held in the Gaza Strip.

The terror group did not say whether the remains belonged to Dror Or or Ran Gvili – the two remaining Israeli hostages – or Sudthisak Rinthalak, a Thai agricultural worker murdered on October 7, 2023.

The PIJ statement confirmed reports by Al Jazeera that a hostage body had been found during Hamas-led searches north of the central Gaza city of Nuseirat.

A joint team of Hamas terrorists, Egyptian search teams, and International Committee of the Red Cross observers were present at the time of the discovery, according to the Al Jazeera report.

The hostage whose remains were located had been held captive by Islamic Jihad, according to a report by Israel Hayom on Monday.

After no transfer of remains was carried out Monday night or Tuesday morning, with no indication by Islamic Jihad or Hamas when a handover would take place, Netanyahu’s office condemned Islamic Jihad, demanding the immediate return of the slain hostage.

“In light of the Islamic Jihad’s announcement regarding the location of findings related to a deceased hostage, Israel views with severity the delay in their immediate transfer into its hands,” the Prime Minister’s Office said.

“This constitutes a further violation of the agreement. Israel demands the immediate return of the three deceased hostages still being held in the Gaza Strip.”

Israel has accused Gaza terror groups of numerous violations of the October ceasefire deal, including the failure to return all of the 48 remaining hostages held at the time of the agreement.

In addition, Hamas terrorists have conducted a number of attacks on IDF forces, and carried out frequent infiltration attempts into Israeli-controlled territory in Gaza.