GAZA, Oct 19 (NNN-WAFA) – Hamas said yesterday that, the Israeli regime’s continued closure of the Rafah border crossing, between Egypt and the Gaza Strip, will “delay recovery operations and the handover of bodies of Israeli hostages.”
Inhumane Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu’s decision to keep the crossing closed until further notice, “constitutes a blatant breach of the ceasefire agreement, and a repudiation of the commitments he made before mediators and guarantor parties,” Hamas said in press statement.
Meanwhile, the Zionist Israel Defence Forces (IDF), said in a statement early yesterday that, it had received the body of the 10th deceased Israeli hostage held in Gaza from Hamas, apart from all the remaining 20 living hostages. On Saturday evening, the IDF updated that it received the bodies of two more deceased Israeli hostages.
A ceasefire, mediated by Egypt, Qatar, Türkiye, and the United States, went into effect on Oct 10. Its first phase includes the exchange of prisoners and detainees, the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza, and a partial withdrawal of Israeli forces.
Earlier yesterday, the Palestinian Embassy in Cairo said, the Rafah border crossing will reopen on Monday, to allow Palestinians residing in Egypt, who wish to return to Gaza to pass. Meanwhile, Palestinian sources said that, the crossing will reopen in both directions, and that in the first phase of the ceasefire, Israel should allow around 50 wounded Palestinians and their companions to leave through the crossing daily.
However, recalcitrant Netanyahu said later in a statement that, the crossing will not open “until further notice,” and that its opening will be under consideration in accordance with how Hamas implements its part in the return of the deceased hostages and the implementation of the agreed framework.
Israel’s military campaign has killed 68,116 Palestinians and injured 170,200 others since Oct 7, 2023, according to Gaza’s health authorities. Despite the ceasefire, 27 Gazans have been murdered and 143 injured since Oct 11, the authorities said in an update, yesterday.– NNN-WAFA
