Israel’s Defence Minister, Israel Katz, has warned that military operations in Gaza will resume if Hamas fails to fully comply with the terms of the U.S.-brokered ceasefire currently halting the war.
The warning came on Wednesday after Hamas handed over the remains of two more deceased Israeli hostages, stating that retrieving additional bodies from Gaza’s ruins would require specialized equipment.
Under the ceasefire agreement brokered by U.S. President Donald Trump, Hamas has released 20 surviving hostages in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners freed from Israeli custody. So far, Hamas has returned seven of the 28 known deceased hostages, along with one unidentified body.
Katz’s office said in a statement:
“If Hamas refuses to comply with the agreement, Israel, in coordination with the United States, will resume fighting to achieve a total defeat of Hamas, change the reality in Gaza, and accomplish all war objectives.”
However, Hamas’s armed wing, the Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades, maintained that it has fulfilled its obligations under the truce:
“The Resistance has handed over all living Israeli prisoners and the corpses it could access. The remaining bodies require special equipment and extensive effort for retrieval.”
Despite Israel’s warning, senior U.S. advisors said on Wednesday that Hamas has reiterated its intention to complete the deal.
Domestically, pressure continues to mount on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as some Israeli politicians — including far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir — have threatened to cut off humanitarian aid to Gaza if Hamas fails to return the remains of all Israeli soldiers.
Meanwhile, Israel has transferred another 45 Palestinian bodies to Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza, bringing the total number of Palestinian remains returned to 90, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
Under the current agreement, Israel is expected to return 15 Palestinian dead for every deceased Israeli hostage.
UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher has urged Israel to reopen all Gaza crossings immediately to allow the delivery of food, medical supplies, and shelter materials.
“It should happen now,” Fletcher told AFP in Cairo. “The real test is whether children are fed and hospitals have anaesthetics for treatment.”
Although reports suggested that the Rafah crossing to Egypt would reopen, this has yet to occur.
In a potential violation of the truce, Gaza’s civil defence agency said Israeli fire killed three Palestinians on Wednesday — two of whom were reportedly trying to return home in the Shujaiya neighbourhood of Gaza City. The Israeli military claimed the individuals had approached troops in a restricted zone, calling it a breach of the agreement.
The ongoing conflict — which began after Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel — has left Gaza in a severe humanitarian crisis, with widespread famine declared by the United Nations in August. Israel, however, disputes the famine designation.
Another major hurdle in the peace process remains Hamas’s disarmament, a core condition in Trump’s 20-point Gaza plan, which the militant group continues to reject. While Hamas seeks to strengthen its control over Gaza’s devastated regions, both Israel and the United States insist that the group must play no role in Gaza’s future governance
