Gaza latest: Israel says body returned by Hamas is not a hostage after closing Rafah Crossing to aid
A body handed over to Israel by Hamas does not belong to a hostage, the Israeli military said on Wednesday amid growing tensions over the repatriation of remains.
The IDF said that a forensic investigation had revealed no match with any of the hostages after Hamas returned four bodies late on Tuesday as part of the fragile ceasefire agreement.
Israel had threatened to close the border between Gaza and Egypt, jeopardising vital aid, until Hamas returned all 28 deceased hostages, after the Palestinian group initially released only four bodies on Monday.
An Israeli security official told The Independent on Wednesday that the Rafah Crossing would not be open and that “no such agreement has been reached at any stage” amid conflicting reports that it would be open to aid today.
Israeli media had suggested that the border was expected to stay shut against “the plan”, citing “violations in the agreement to return the bodies of Israeli hostages”. Trucks sat at the border waiting to deliver aid into the territory.
