Egyptian Team Enters Gaza To Help Recover Hostage Remains
An Egyptian engineering team entered the Gaza Strip on Saturday with Israel’s approval to assist in locating the bodies of Israeli hostages believed to be buried beneath rubble, Israeli officials said. The team brought several vehicles and specialized equipment, marking the first time Israel has permitted such foreign involvement in the search effort.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu personally authorized the operation, according to the Prime Minister’s Office, which described the mission as “purely technical” and limited to identifying the sites of slain captives. Israeli and Egyptian coordination has intensified in recent days as both sides exchange information provided by Hamas regarding the locations of the dead.
Give the gift of hope
We practice what we preach:
accurate, fearless journalism. But we can't do it alone.
- On the ground in Gaza, Syria, Israel, Egypt, Pakistan, and more
- Our program trained more than 100 journalists
- Calling out fake news and reporting real facts
- On the ground in Gaza, Syria, Israel, Egypt, Pakistan, and more
- Our program trained more than 100 journalists
- Calling out fake news and reporting real facts
Join us.
Support The Media Line. Save democracy.
A senior Israeli defense official said the move came after weeks of discussion, during which Israel insisted that Hamas was capable of locating and returning the bodies itself. “They are going in only to locate the slain hostages,” the official said. Egypt’s request to send equipment and personnel was ultimately approved at the political level, reflecting growing urgency to recover the remaining 13 bodies still believed to be in Gaza.
Israeli sources told local media that Hamas could potentially return the remains of up to eight hostages but continues to delay, apparently seeking to prolong the ceasefire without progressing to the next phase of the agreement, which would require disarmament. The locations of five other bodies remain unknown.
“There are no indications from the Red Cross of any imminent return,” one Israeli security source told KAN. Reports on Friday and Saturday suggested Hamas may hand over two sets of remains, but those transfers have yet to occur.
Defense Minister Israel Katz, IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir, and senior intelligence officials briefed US Vice President JD Vance earlier this week at the Kirya military headquarters, telling him Hamas has the capability to return at least ten bodies without outside help. After Vance’s departure, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio continued meetings with Israeli officials as Washington pressed Jerusalem to maintain the ceasefire.
