Netanyahu is “determined” to put pressure on Hamas to find the remaining dead hostages

Israel’s prime minister told a memorial for the victims of the Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023, that he was “determined” to secure the return of the dead hostages still in Gaza and that the country would continue to fight terrorism with “full force.”

Benjamin Netanyahu made the comments hours after Hamas returned the bodies of two other hostages, but said it had been unable to gain access to the other 19.

There was fury in Israel that Hamas still had not returned all the bodies in accordance with last week’s Gaza ceasefire agreement, even though the U.S. play down the suggestion that this constitutes an infringement.

Israel responded to the delay by threatening to limit the amount of aid flowing to Gaza.

Earlier on Thursday, the Israeli government confirmed that two bodies handed over by Hamas to the International Committee of the Red Cross on Wednesday evening were identified as Inbar Hayman and Sergeant Major Muhammad al-Atarash.

Their return, which was overseen by masked Hamas gunmen in Gaza City, brought the number of dead hostages returned since Monday to nine out of 28.

All 20 living hostages were released on Monday in exchange for 250 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails and 1,718 detainees from Gaza.

Hamas’s military wing said Wednesday that it would continue to search for the remaining bodies, but that it would require great effort and specialized equipment.

On Thursday, Netanyahu addressed an official memorial ceremony at Jerusalem’s Mount Herzel National Cemetery, two days after the Jewish calendar anniversary of the Oct. 7 attack.

The prime minister said he remained committed to ensuring the return of all dead Israeli and foreign hostages and reiterated his government’s willingness to return to military action if Israel was attacked again.

He said: “Our fight against terrorism will continue in full force. We will not allow evil to rear its head. We will exact the full price from anyone who hurts us.”

The Israeli army launched a campaign in Gaza in response to the October 7 attack in which gunmen led by Hamas killed around 1,200 people in southern Israel and took another 251 hostage.

At least 67,967 people have been killed by Israeli attacks in Gaza since then, according to the territory’s health ministry, whose figures are considered reliable by the UN.

The Israel Hostage and Missing Families Forum said the Netanyahu government should “immediately suspend implementation” of the ceasefire agreement until the 19 bodies are returned.

After Hamas said it was unable to retrieve all the bodies, two senior advisers to US President Donald Trump said preparations to move to the next phase of the ceasefire agreement were continuing.

The advisers told reporters that the U.S. government so far did not believe Hamas had violated the agreement by not withdrawing more remains, and said the group had acted in good faith in sharing information with its interlocutors.

While the full text of the agreement between Israel and Hamas has not been made public, a a leaked version that appeared in the Israeli media it seemed to allow for the possibility that not all bodies would be immediately available.

A senior US adviser cited the level of destruction in Gaza as one reason the search has slowed and said rewards could be offered to civilians with information on the location of the remains.

Hamas has complained to mediators that more than 20 people have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza since the ceasefire took effect on Friday.

The Israeli army, which still controls more than half the territory, said it was opening fire to eliminate threats to its troops.

Meanwhile, work is underway in Gaza identify the bodies of Palestinians returned by Israel in recent days in exchange for the bodies of the hostages. Another 30 were returned on Thursday, bringing the total to 120.

There were some reports that the Rafah crossing with Egypt would reopen on Thursday after being closed since the Gaza Strip was captured by Israeli forces in May 2024.

The ceasefire agreement specifies that its reopening will be “subject to the same mechanism applied” during the temporary ceasefire earlier this year, when wounded Palestinians were briefly allowed to cross to receive medical treatment.

On Thursday, an official from Israel’s military authority Cogat said: “The date for the opening of the Rafah crossing point for human traffic only will be announced at a later stage after the Israeli side, together with the Egyptian side, have completed the necessary preparations.”

The official also emphasized that “the aid will not pass through the Rafah border crossing”. Instead, they said he would continue to enter Gaza through the nearby Kerem Shalom crossing in southern Israel and other crossings after Israeli security checks.