Hamas has announced that the delivery of Israeli captives’ bodies has been delayed due to Israel’s refusal to allow heavy rescue equipment into Gaza, leaving many corpses trapped under rubble from Israeli bombardments.

“Some bodies of Israeli captives are buried under the debris caused by intense bombardments. The delay results from Israel’s refusal to allow necessary machinery for rescue operations into the area,” Hamas said in a statement.

Hamas emphasized that all accessible bodies have been handed over, but many remain unreachable without proper equipment, holding the Israeli government fully responsible for the delay.

Hamas spokesman Hazim Qasim criticized the international community for its double standards, noting that while global attention focuses on a few Israeli captives, tens of thousands of Palestinian corpses remain buried under Gaza’s rubble, victims of relentless Israeli attacks.

Gaza’s Health Ministry confirmed that 120 Palestinian corpses delivered by Israeli forces so far have arrived unidentified, with verification being conducted using rudimentary methods. Rescue teams continue to face immense challenges in recovering hundreds more bodies as ongoing Israeli bombardments have devastated Gaza’s infrastructure and disabled much of the heavy machinery required for proper recovery.

According to Reuters, Hamas has repeatedly accused Israel of obstructing body deliveries, citing the collapse of tunnels and buildings under bombardment and the ongoing blockade on equipment needed for recovery. International agencies, including the Red Cross, acknowledge that handovers of bodies in conflict zones are inherently slow and logistically challenging, yet Israel’s deliberate restrictions have exacerbated the crisis.

The continued deadlock over the retrieval of bodies has fueled tensions in ceasefire negotiations, as pressure mounts on Israel to allow the necessary equipment for recovery operations and to respect the rights of Gaza’s civilians, who continue to suffer under a decade-long siege and ongoing military aggression.

This latest obstruction highlights the human cost of Israel’s blockade and bombardment, with countless Palestinian families still unable to recover the remains of their loved ones, while the world’s attention disproportionately focuses on Israeli casualties. (ILKHA)