Report claims Hamas collecting bodies of deceased hostages


The report further asserted that Hamas had agreed in principle to surrender its weapons to a Palestinian–Egyptian body under international supervision, with its leaders’ fate to be determined later.

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

Saudi media reported Sunday that Hamas has begun locating and gathering the bodies of deceased Israeli hostages in Gaza as part of preparations for a potential deal, even as the group’s affiliated outlets later denied the claim.

According to the Saudi-owned Al Arabiya network, a Hamas representative said operatives had started recovering remains across the Strip and requested that Israel halt its airstrikes to complete the effort.

“We started to collect the Israeli deceased hostages and asked for the strikes to stop in order to do so,” the official said. He added that while the release of living hostages would occur in a single stage, transferring the bodies “will take some time.”

The same source claimed there was “American flexibility” on the issue and that Hamas had received assurances through Qatar, including potential terms for a permanent Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.

The report further asserted that Hamas had agreed in principle to surrender its weapons to a Palestinian–Egyptian body under international supervision, with its leaders’ fate to be determined later.

Within hours, Hamas-affiliated media, including Al-Aqsa Radio, rejected the Al Arabiya account, calling it “false” and “baseless.”

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu instructed Israel’s delegation—led by Minister Ron Dermer—to depart for Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, where further negotiations are expected.

Speaking to the pan-European Euronews network, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that “it is possible” Hamas will agree to release the hostages it continues to hold in Gaza.

“If it doesn’t happen, what President Trump has said is that he will back Israel completely in acting forcefully against Hamas,” Netanyahu said. “Let’s hope that we can finish it the easy way and not the hard way.”

Netanyahu said the decision now lies with Hamas. After any hostage release, he added, the demilitarization of Gaza and the disarming of Hamas “will be negotiated.”