Israel’s sense of relief over the release of 20 surviving hostages quickly gave way to anger on Tuesday, after Hamas returned only four of the 28 deceased hostages expected under the current Gaza ceasefire arrangement.
While officials had anticipated possible delays in recovering bodies from the war-ravaged enclave, Israeli media reported that government representatives reacted with “shock and frustration” to the limited transfer.
Ynet and The Times of Israel said authorities had demanded visible progress by Tuesday evening. Hamas, however, has remained silent, though sources aligned with the group claimed additional time and equipment were needed to recover bodies buried under rubble in Gaza.
Israeli officials have dismissed those explanations, arguing that Hamas is deliberately withholding the bodies to gain further leverage in ongoing negotiations.
Defence Minister Israel Katz accused the group of violating the ceasefire deal, warning that Israel would not tolerate further breaches. He noted that Israel had already released nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners in line with the agreement.
Anger is also growing among bereaved families. Yael Adar, whose son Tamir remains missing, described the government’s management of talks with Hamas as “a betrayal,” criticising what she saw as a lack of urgency and clear deadlines.
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum called for the immediate suspension of all agreements with Hamas until the return of every deceased hostage.
Authorities must still carry out formal identification once the bodies are recovered, amid lingering concerns after Hamas once returned a misidentified corpse.
The partial fulfilment of the ceasefire terms threatens to reignite tensions between Israel and Hamas, complicating efforts to sustain the fragile truce that had briefly raised hopes for a broader humanitarian breakthrough.
