Hamas only hands over four dead hostages – will peace fail now?

Hamas only hands over four dead hostages

Is peace now failing in the Middle East?

Hamas has so far handed over only four of 28 deceased hostages to Israel. There they are now threatening consequences. What does that mean?

There was great joy in Israel: after the last 20 living hostages were freed from captivity by the Islamist terrorist organization Hamas on Monday, the country was initially in a collective state of joy. But now this joy is giving way to anger among parts of the population and the government.

Because another essential part of the agreement between Israel and Hamas was not kept. The terrorist organization was also supposed to hand over the 28 dead hostages within 72 hours. So far, however, Israel has only received four coffins. These have already been taken to the National Institute of Forensic Medicine in Tel Aviv.

Hamas told mediators: “We are encountering obstacles beyond our control and geographical constraints that have resulted in us handing over fewer dead hostages than expected.” Apparently the terrorist organization had already told the mediators during the negotiations that it did not know where some of the bodies were. Nevertheless, Israel had signed the peace agreement. Almost 2,000 Palestinian prisoners have already been released from Israeli prisons.

According to the Israeli portal “ynet”, Israel initially assumed that only nine bodies could not be handed over – later the number increased to around 14. However, there are now fears in Israel that Hamas is deliberately delaying the return, as the newspaper “Times of Israel” reports.

It is now becoming increasingly clear that Hamas will not adhere to a key part of the peace agreement despite agreeing to it. Does this also mean that the peace process that has just begun is on the verge of failure?

The government in Jerusalem apparently does not believe Hamas when it claims that it knows nothing about the whereabouts of the dead or that it cannot recover them in the heavily destroyed Gaza Strip. According to Israeli media, Israel assumes that the terrorist organization is holding back the dead as a means of applying pressure for further negotiations.

Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz has already announced corresponding reactions. “Hamas’ announcement that four bodies are expected to be returned today represents a failure to comply with its commitments,” he said, adding that “any delay or deliberate avoidance will be considered a blatant violation of the agreement and will be dealt with accordingly.”

The spokesman for the Israeli Defense Forces, Effie Defrin, also emphasized that the military would take appropriate action. He said intensive efforts are being made at all levels to force the terror group to fulfill its obligations. “We don’t forget them for a moment,” Defrin said. “We will not rest until they all return to their families and an Israeli grave.”