US President Donald Trump urged Hamas on Tuesday to release the remaining bodies of hostages held in Gaza, saying it was time to move to the next phase of the deal he toured the Middle East to push.
“All twenty hostages are back and feeling as good as can be expected.
A big burden has been lifted, but the job is not done.“The dead have not been returned, as promised! Phase Two begins right now!!!” Trump said on his Truth Social network.
Trump’s post came just hours after he returned from a lightning trip to Israel and Egypt, reflecting the ongoing uncertainty over the ceasefire and hostage deal between Israel and Hamas.
The US leader had proclaimed a “historic dawn of a new Middle East” during his visit, during which he and regional leaders signed a declaration meant to cement the ceasefire in Gaza.
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Under the deal, the remaining 20 live hostages seized during Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack on Israel were freed shortly before Trump arrived in Israel.
But while Hamas returned four bodies on Monday, the Palestinian armed group is still holding the bodies of 24 hostages, which are expected to be returned under the terms of the ceasefire agreement.
A Gaza hospital said it had received the bodies of 45 Palestinians that had been handed back by Israel, also as part of the deal to end the war.
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday that he expected news on the remaining dead hostages still held in Gaza “within hours”.
“We will soon receive news — hopefully within hours — about the return of additional fallen hostages.
But we are determined to bring everyone back,” Netanyahu said while visiting hostages freed Monday at a hospital in central Israel.
AFP
