The bodies of two more hostages were returned to Israel on Wednesday after the country said that a body returned the day prior was not a hostage.
The terms of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas called for all Israeli hostages and bodies of hostages to be released. All living hostages have been released, but there have been questions about whether Hamas can retrieve the bodies of deceased captives.
The identities of the two bodies are unclear. The Red Cross transferred the remains from Hamas to Israel, which sent them to a forensic lab in Tel Aviv.
The Gaza Health Ministry reported that it received 45 more bodies of Palestinians from Israel, bringing the total received to 90. Forensics teams alleged the bodies showed signs of abuse.
On Tuesday, Israel received four bodies of hostages after receiving four on Monday, following the release of all the living hostages. One of the bodies received earlier in the week did not match any of the hostages.
President Donald Trump brokered a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas last week. Trump declared that conflict in the region was over earlier this week.
“After so many years of unceasing war and endless danger, today the skies are calm, the guns are silent, the sirens are still, and the sun rises on a Holy Land that is finally at peace, a land and a region that will live, God willing, in peace for all eternity,” Trump said in a speech on Monday to the Israeli parliament.
“This is not only the end of a war; this is the end of an age of terror and death and the beginning of the age of faith and hope and of God. It’s the start of a grand concord of lasting harmony for Israel and all the nations of what will soon be a magnificent region,” he added.
But the agreement has seen cracks. Hamas has refused to lay down its arms and cede governance of the area yet. The different phases of the ceasefire have yet to be implemented, including a withdrawal of the Israeli military.
Palestinians have also accused Israel of breaking the ceasefire, allegedly killing three Gazans in strikes on Wednesday.
PHASE TWO OF ISRAEL-HAMAS DEAL REQUIRES TRUMP’S PATIENT FORTITUDE
Michael Ratney, the former U.S. ambassador to Saudi Arabia under the Biden administration, told ABC News that there’s still a long way to go in the ceasefire.
“I’d like to say it was peace. It’s not peace yet,” Ratney said. “There’s a lot of work, and that includes many of the measures that are on that 20-point plan that the White House released.”
