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<h1 class="gmail-single_title">Hamas accuses Netanyahu of
obstructing handover of captive bodies</h1>
<p class="gmail-single_date">Friday 17-October-2025</p>
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title="Hamas accuses Netanyahu of obstructing handover of captive bodies"
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<p>GAZA, (PIC)</p>
<p>The Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas, accused Israeli Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of deliberately obstructing the
handover of Israeli captives\u2019 bodies and blocking humanitarian
aid into the Gaza Strip, calling it part of his government\u2019s
\u201cfascist policy of collective punishment and political
manipulation of humanitarian files.\u201d</p>
<p>Hamas said in a statement on Thursday that Netanyahu\u2019s
threats to delay the reopening of the Rafah crossing and
restrict aid deliveries \u201cexpose his government\u2019s vindictive
agenda toward Gaza\u2019s civilians.\u201d</p>
<p>The Movement explained that returning the bodies of Israeli
captives would \u201ctake some time,\u201d as several were buried in
tunnels destroyed by Israeli airstrikes and others remain
under the rubble of demolished buildings. Hamas held Israel
responsible for the destruction that has hindered recovery
efforts.</p>
<p>Hamas noted that the bodies it was able to retrieve were
immediately transferred, while the rest require specialized
equipment that Israel has blocked from entering the enclave.
Hamas stressed its commitment to the ceasefire agreement and
its intention to hand over all remaining bodies, blaming
Netanyahu\u2019s government for obstructing humanitarian and
technical facilitation.</p>
<p>US president Donald Trump announced on October 9 that Israel
and Hamas had agreed to the first phase of a ceasefire and
prisoner exchange plan following indirect negotiations in
Sharm el-Sheikh, with Türkiye, Egypt, and Qatar participating
under US supervision.</p>
<p>According to the agreement, Hamas would return the bodies of
28 Israeli captives in exchange for Israel\u2019s release of the
bodies of Palestinians killed during the ongoing genocide in
Gaza.</p>
<p>Since October 7, 2023, Israeli forces, backed by the US and
European countries, have waged a genocidal war on Gaza marked
by mass killings, starvation, destruction, displacement, and
arbitrary arrests, ignoring international appeals and rulings
from the International Court of Justice.</p>
<p>The assault has left over 238,000 Palestinians martyred or
wounded, mostly women and children, with more than 11,000
missing and hundreds of thousands displaced amid a famine that
has claimed numerous lives, especially among children. Much of
Gaza\u2019s urban landscape has been obliterated.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, the brutality of Israeli crimes continues to
unfold as dozens of Palestinian bodies returned by the Israeli
occupation forces revealed shocking evidence of field
executions, torture, and abuse.</p>
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<p>According to Dr. Mohammed Zaqout, director general of Gaza\u2019s
hospitals, the Ministry of Health has received 120 bodies from
Israel in three batches, many of them unidentified. Forensic
examinations revealed signs of extreme torture, burns,
close-range gunshots, and even crushed limbs consistent with
tank tracks. Many of the bodies were bound with plastic
restraints or chains.</p>
<p>Zaqout said only six victims have been identified so far due
to the lack of advanced DNA testing equipment, while Israel
has refused to share genetic data it collected, except for
three cases.</p>
<p>The limited capacity of morgue facilities means that bodies
can be preserved for only about a week, forcing authorities to
proceed with urgent burials. The Ministry has created an
online database displaying victims\u2019 photos and personal items
to help families identify their loved ones.</p>
<p>Health Ministry director Munir al-Bursh described the scenes
as \u201cunprecedented horror,\u201d noting that many of the bodies
\u201cwere blindfolded, bound like animals, and burned, clear
evidence of execution and torture after months of captivity.\u201d</p>
<p>A forensic expert quoted by the Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor
confirmed the findings, documenting cases of execution by
hanging, close-range shooting, and severe mutilation.</p>
<p>Attorney Samir al-Mana\u2019ama of Al-Mizan Center for Human
Rights said these practices constitute another episode of the
ongoing genocide in Gaza. He emphasized that Israel\u2019s
systematic concealment of detainees\u2019 fates and retention of
bodies in \u201ccemeteries of numbers\u201d represent grave breaches of
the Fourth Geneva Convention, amounting to war crimes and
crimes against humanity.</p>
<p>Euro-Med\u2019s field and forensic teams described the returned
bodies as \u201cconclusive evidence of deliberate torture and
extrajudicial executions.\u201d</p>
<p>The organization urged the immediate entry of independent
medical and human rights missions to document and preserve the
evidence before it deteriorates. It also called on the
International Criminal Court to expand its investigation into
Israel\u2019s crimes to include these acts of execution, torture,
and enforced disappearance.</p>
<p>The report warned that the continued uncertainty surrounding
thousands of missing persons and the withholding of hundreds
of bodies deepen an unprecedented humanitarian and legal
crisis and challenge the international community\u2019s commitment
to justice, truth, and accountability.</p>
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