Nottingham Guardian - Israel receives bodies of two more hostages returned by Hamas

The issue of hostage bodies still in Gaza has become a sticking point in the ceasefire implementation, with Israel linking the reopening of the main gateway into the territory to the recovery of all of the deceased.

Relief agencies have called for the Rafah border crossing from Egypt to be reopened to speed the flow of food, fuel and medicines.

Gaza rescuers, meanwhile reported fresh violence in some areas despite the truce.

Hamas's armed wing, the Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades, handed over the remains of two hostages on Saturday night as part of the US-brokered ceasefire agreement.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office confirmed the Red Cross had received the remains and handed them to Israeli forces for identification.

Netanyahu warned the war in Gaza will not be over until Hamas disarms and the Palestinian territory is demilitarised.

"When that is successfully completed -- hopefully in an easy way, but if not, in a hard way -- then the war will end," he said in an appearance on right-wing Israeli Channel 14.

Netanyahu, Israel's longest-serving premier, also told the channel he would contest elections next year and expected to win.

Hamas has so far resisted disarming and, since the pause in fighting, has moved to reassert its control over Gaza.

The US State Department on Saturday said it had "credible reports" that Hamas was planning an imminent attack against civilians in Gaza, warning that it would be a "ceasefire violation".

"Should Hamas proceed with this attack, measures will be taken to protect the people of Gaza and preserve the integrity of the ceasefire," it said in a statement, without elaborating on the nature or target.

- Rafah crossing closed -

Under the US-brokered ceasefire, Hamas has so far released all 20 living hostages along with the remains of 12 dead, including the latest two yet to be identified.

In exchange, Israel has released nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and 135 bodies of Palestinians since the truce came into effect on October 10.

Hamas has said it needs time and technical assistance to recover the remaining bodies from under Gaza's rubble.

Netanyahu's office said he had "directed that the Rafah crossing remain closed until further notice".

"Its reopening will be considered based on how Hamas fulfils its part in returning the hostages and the bodies of the deceased, and in implementing the agreed-upon framework," it said.

Hamas warned late Saturday that the closure of the Rafah crossing would cause "significant delays in the retrieval and transfer of remains".

- Gaza killings persist -

Some violence has persisted despite the ceasefire.

Gaza's civil defence agency, which operates under Hamas authority, said on Saturday that it had recovered the bodies of nine Palestinians -- two men, three women and four children -- from the Shaaban family after Israeli troops fired two tank shells at a bus.

Two more victims were blown apart in the blast and their remains have yet to be recovered, it said.

At Gaza City's Al-Ahli Hospital, the victims were laid out in white shrouds as their relatives mourned.

"My daughter, her children and her husband; my son, his children and his wife were killed. What did they do wrong?" said grandmother Umm Mohammed Shaaban.

The Israeli military said it had fired on a vehicle that approached the so-called "yellow line", to which its forces withdrew under the terms of the ceasefire, and gave no estimate of casualties.

- Digging latrines -

Tom Fletcher, the UN head of humanitarian relief, was in northern Gaza on Saturday, where limited aid has trickled through since the Rafah crossing closed.

"To see the devastation -- this is a vast part of the city, just a wasteland -- and it's absolutely devastating to see," he told AFP.

Fletcher said the task facing the UN and aid agencies was a "massive, massive job".

He said he had met residents returning to destroyed homes who were trying to dig latrines in the ruins.

"We have a massive 60-day plan now to surge in food, get a million meals out there a day, start to rebuild the health sector, bring in tents for the winter, get hundreds of thousands of kids back into school."

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T.Murray--NG