Israel identifies the remains of a hostage as Hamas says it is committed to ending the war
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Israel said on Tuesday it had identified the body of a hostage that was released by Palestinian militants overnight, while the militant group's chief negotiator said Hamas is determined to implement the ceasefire agreement with Israel.
U.S. Vice President JD Vance is expected in the region on Tuesday to shore up the fragile ceasefire, which has teetered over the past few days.
Israel confirmed that Hamas released the body of Tal Haimi, who was killed on Oct. 7, 2023, and abducted from Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak on the Gaza border. Haimi, 42, a fourth-generation resident of Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak, was part of the emergency response team. He had four children, including one born after the attack.
Under the terms of the ceasefire, Israel is still waiting for Hamas to turn over the remains of 15 deceased hostages. Thirteen bodies have been released since the ceasefire began.
After trading strikes earlier this week, Hamas negotiators reiterated that the group is committed to ensuring the war “ends once and for all.”
“From the day we signed the Sharm el-Sheikh agreement, we were determined and committed to seeing it through to the end,” Hamas chief negotiator Khalil al-Hayya, who is in Cairo, told Egypt’s Al-Qahera News television late Monday.
He said the Sharm el-Sheikh summit, hosted by Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi and U.S. President Donald Trump, represented “an international will declaring the war in Gaza is over.”
Al-Hayya said Hamas received assurances from mediators and Trump that “give us confidence that the war has ended for good.”
He said Israel has complied with aid deliveries in the crossings according to the agreement but asked mediators to pressure Israel to deliver more shelter, medical supplies and winterization items before the weather changes.
On Sunday, Israel’s military said militants had fired at troops, killing two Israeli soldiers in areas of Rafah in southern Gaza that are Israeli-controlled according to agreed-upon ceasefire lines.
Retaliatory strikes by Israel killed 45 Palestinians, according to the territory’s Health Ministry, which says a total of 80 people have been killed since the ceasefire took effect.
Similar strikes occurred on Monday in Gaza City and Khan Younis, where Israel said militants had crossed the yellow ceasefire line and posed an “immediate threat” to its troops.
The Israeli military said Monday it was using concrete barriers and painted poles to more clearly delineate the so-called yellow line in Gaza where troops have withdrawn to. It said several instances of violence have occurred.
Also on Tuesday, Qatar, a key mediator in the ceasefire, denounced Israel in a speech by its ruling emir. Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani said his nation would continue to serve as a mediator as a ceasefire holds in the Gaza Strip.
Sheikh Tamim specifically called Israel out for its “continued breaches of the ceasefire” in Gaza, as well as its expansion of settlements in the West Bank.
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Magdy reported from Cairo. Associated Press writer Jon Gambrell contributed from Dubai, UAE.
