Hamas urges help in recovering captives' bodies as Israel, US threaten escalation

Hamas has accused Israel of delaying the recovery of bodies from beneath the rubble of Gaza, saying that Tel Aviv's blocking of heavy machinery from entering Gaza has set back the process.

As well as recovering the bodies of thousands of Palestinians buried beneath the rubble by Israeli strikes, Gaza's authorities are searching for the bodies of Israeli captives to be returned as part of the ceasefire agreement.

Hamas said on Thursday it was still committed to the US-brokered truce with Israel; however, it needs assistance in locating the bodies of 19 deceased Israeli captives. Turkey sent dozens of specialists to Gaza to assist with the search, though Israeli blocks on heavy equipment remain in place.

The Palestinian group's statement followed a threat by Israel's Defence Minister Israel Katz to "resume fighting" if the bodies were not returned.

Hamas said the process "may require some time, as some of these corpses were buried in tunnels destroyed by the [Israeli] occupation, while others remain under the rubble of buildings it bombed and demolished".

In Israel, relatives of the captives demanded that their country "immediately halt the implementation of any further stages of the agreement as long as Hamas continues to blatantly violate its obligations".

US President Donald Trump appeared to call for patience, insisting that Hamas were "actually digging" for the remains. 

However, the president also issued a threat to the group, saying on Truth Social: "If Hamas continues to kill people in Gaza, which was not the Deal, we will have no choice but to go in and kill them," likely referring to the group's crackdown on suspected collaborators and armed gangs.

Days earlier, the president appeared to endorse moves by the group to rearm "for a period".

"They’ve been open about it and we gave them approval for a period of time," Trump told reporters.

Under the 20-point ceasefire agreement spearheaded by Trump, Hamas has returned 20 surviving captives and the remains of nine of 28 known deceased captives -- along with another body, which Israel said was not that of a former hostage.

In exchange, Israel released nearly 2,000 Palestinian captives, many held without charge or trial. Israel also returned the bodies of dozens of Palestinians killed in Gaza, many of whom were still bound with their hands behind their backs. Others showed signs of having been run over by Israeli military vehicles.

Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, described the reports of Palestinian bodies being returned with signs of torture as "extremely concerning".

The next stage of Trump's plan for Gaza calls for the disarmament of Hamas - a phase that may prove a stumbling block for the continuation of the ceasefire.

Hamas has previously said it would hand over power and weapons to a Palestinian unity government; however, Trump's plan calls for the appointment of a foreign-led council to govern over Gaza on an interim basis. According to Trump's plan, he would head the council, which would also include former British Prime Minister Tony Blair.