Hamas hand over 2 more bodies of hostages after Netanyahu says Rafah Crossing to be closed indefinitely

The IDF said on Saturday night that the Red Cross has notified the military that it has collected two caskets, with the apparent bodies of two slain hostages, from Hamas in the southern Gaza Strip. The Red Cross will take the caskets to IDF troops inside Gaza, where a military rabbi will preside over a small ceremony. The remains will then be taken to the Abu Kabir Forensic Institute in Tel Aviv for identification of the remains. Earlier, Hamas’ armed wing said on Saturday that it will hand over the bodies of two more hostages as part of a ceasefire deal with Israel. The Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades said on its Telegram channel that the group will “handover at 10:00 PM (1900 GMT) today the bodies of two Israeli captives, whose remains were recovered earlier today in the Gaza Strip”.

The development took place after, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office had announced that the Rafah Crossing between Egypt and Gaza will remain closed indefinitely, citing Hamas’s failure to live up to the ceasefire deal. “Its reopening will be considered based on the extent to which Hamas fulfills its part in returning the fallen hostages, and in implementing the agreed-upon framework,” the Prime Minister’s Office said.

The statement contradicted an earlier announcement by the Palestinian embassy in Egypt, which said the crossing would open on Monday.

The Rafah Crossing was set to open for the movement of Palestinians in both directions as part of the ceasefire, not for the entry of aid. As many as 18 bodies of dead hostages remain held in the Gaza Strip.

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Hostage families hail PM’s move to keep Rafah Crossing closed

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum praised the prime minister’s move to indefinitely close the Rafah Crossing between Egypt and Gaza, accusing Hamas of failing to live up to its side of the ceasefire deal.

The government “must take a firm stance against Hamas and demand the return of all 18 [deceased] hostages without exception, and use every lever at its disposal,” the Forum said in a statement.

“The government must declare that it will not proceed with implementing the agreement until all the fallen hostages are returned, in accordance with the Trump framework,” it added.

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IDF says it killed Hezbollah operative in southern Lebanon

The IDF said on Saturday that it killed a Hezbollah operative in a drone strike in southern Lebanon earlier in the day. The member of the terror group had been operating heavy machinery in the village of Kfar Dounine, in an attempt to restore Hezbollah infrastructure in the area that had been destroyed during the fighting last year, it said.

The “terrorist’s activities constituted a violation of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon,” the IDF said.

WATCH: Gaza peace deal: 18 hostage bodies still held, Israel accuses Hamas of delays