Red Cross Assists Hamas in Search for Bodies of Captives in Gaza Strip

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) confirmed that its personnel joined members of Hamas into areas of the Gaza Strip currently controlled by Israeli military authority to support the search for the remains of Israeli hostages.

Truce Agreements and Captive Remains Handover

As part of the truce negotiated by the United States, which took effect on October 10, the group is required to hand over the remains of all Israeli hostages as soon as possible. In exchange, Israel has consented to transfer 15 Palestinian bodies for every Israeli body returned.

Hamas has to date handed back the bodies of 15 of those held captive but none in the last five days, as a portion of those remains are thought to be in areas beyond the yellow line marking Gaza’s ceasefire.

ICRC Role as Neutral Intermediary

“Upon the appeal of the involved sides, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) accompanied a party to the conflict as the party looked for the bodies of the deceased past the IDF-designated ‘yellow line’,” stated a spokesperson for the committee.

The spokesperson added: “The parties to the conflict determined the modalities of the mission and entrusted the Red Cross to serve as a impartial mediator. The ICRC was not involved in those negotiations.”

The official further clarified: “The ICRC was did not participate in the physical hunt for the bodies nor does it engage in the physical recovery of remains.”

Global Humanitarian Law and Responsibilities

According to international humanitarian law, it is the responsibility of the parties involved in a conflict to locate, gather, and retrieve the bodies of the deceased.

US Demand and Regional Search Efforts

Recently, the US president issued a 48-hour demand to the organization. “Hamas is going to have to start handing over the remains of the hostages who died, including two Americans, promptly, or the additional nations participating in this significant truce will take action,” he wrote on his online channel.

When the two-day window approached, Hamas, accompanied by the Red Cross, teamed up with teams from Egypt, who were authorised by Israel to look for bodies beyond the line indicating the Israeli military’s pullback inside Gaza. An Israeli spokesperson said the delegation would use heavy machinery and vehicles in the operation.

Authoritative Verification and Press Reports

This development was corroborated by an unnamed Israeli official, who told local press that members of the group had been permitted to access areas of the region under Israel Defense Forces (IDF) control to look for the remains of captives, alongside Egypt’s and Red Cross personnel.

“For this purpose, representatives were permitted to cross the designated boundary,” the source was quoted as saying.

Footage published by a regional network seemed to show individuals of a specialized group – part of the organization’s military wing responsible for guarding captives – accompanying a humanitarian transport in a coastal area close to Rafah, which is beyond IDF jurisdiction.

Challenges in Finding Hostage Bodies

The search for the bodies of Israeli hostages has become one of the most delicate matters in the ceasefire agreed between the two sides. However, the effort to locate the remains has been difficult from the beginning, given the existence of an estimated 60m tonnes of debris across the strip, where, as per local health authorities, at least ten thousand residents are listed as missing, buried under the rubble.

Conflicting Claims on Body Location

The group has stated it does not know the exact locations of all the bodies, saying it has lost contact with several of its units that had been holding the captives and were reportedly killed during Israeli bombardments.

In contrast, an official representative asserted that Hamas was aware of the locations of the bodies. “If Hamas exerted greater effort, they would be able to retrieve the bodies of our captives,” the spokesperson said.

American Position and Weapons Surrender Talks

Although the American leader has acknowledged that some of the bodies are difficult to access, he said that “the rest they can return immediately and, for some reason, they are failing to do so.”

“It may have to do with the surrender of weapons of Hamas,” he noted.

The US administration has said it has received guarantees from Hamas that the group will disarm, though no clear timeline has been established. The militant organisation remains reluctant to surrender its weapons without solid guarantees about the fate of its members.