The handover of the bodies of deceased hostages in the Gaza Strip could take days or weeks, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). Given the destruction of buildings and infrastructure in the Gaza Strip, it is sometimes difficult to locate the remains, said ICRC spokesman Christian Cardon in Geneva.
“There are clear indications that this could take much more time due to the difficulty of finding the human remains in Gaza that may be among the rubble,” Cardon said. It cannot be ruled out that some bodies will never be found. In all meetings, the ICRC emphasizes how important the repatriation of remains is for relatives and also for possible reconciliation after the end of the war.
The ICRC did not know in advance when bodies would be handed over and where in the Gaza Strip. As was the case with the handover on Monday, the information often only comes at the last minute. The ICRC is not involved in the search and location of remains. On Monday, Hamas handed over the remains of 4 of 28 deceased hostages to Israel through the ICRC.
The world football association Fifa wants to participate in the reconstruction of the sporting infrastructure in the Gaza Strip. This is part of the general efforts after the peace summit in Egypt, says FIFA President Gianni Infantino. The association will help rebuild destroyed facilities and create opportunities for children. “Football brings hope,” Infantino added.
Following the agreement on a ceasefire in the Gaza war, Qatar says negotiations for the next phase have begun. “The talks in Sharm El-Sheikh are already underway,” Majid al-Ansari, spokesman for the Qatari Foreign Ministry, told US television channel Fox News. Everyone involved worked around the clock to ensure that there was no “time gap” in the indirect negotiations between Hamas and Israel and between phases one and two.
