Israel announced on Tuesday it would cut aid entering Gaza by half and postpone opening the Rafah border crossing, accusing Hamas of deliberately delaying the return of hostage bodies under the fragile ceasefire, according to a Guardian report.
The decision slashes daily aid trucks to 300 and violates the US-brokered ceasefire agreement. Hamas handed over four more bodies to the International Committee of the Red Cross on Tuesday night, bringing the total to eight since the ceasefire began. Twenty bodies remain unaccounted for.
Families identified three of the returned bodies early Wednesday as Ouriel Baruch, Tamir Nimrodi and Eitan Levy. Hamas said it faced obstacles locating all burial sites.
The Red Cross warned on Monday that retrieving bodies from Gaza’s rubble presented a “massive challenge” requiring days or weeks.
Trump demanded Hamas release the remaining bodies to advance the Gaza peace plan. “A big burden has been lifted, but the job IS NOT DONE. THE DEAD HAVE NOT BEEN RETURNED, AS PROMISED!” he posted. “Phase Two begins right NOW!!!”
The ceasefire freed 20 living Israeli hostages on Monday and nearly 2,000 Palestinians from Israeli custody. Israeli forces partially withdrew from Gaza. The agreement required all hostages, dead and alive, to be returned within 72 hours but included provisions if Hamas could not meet the deadline.
The Rafah crossing was scheduled to open Wednesday under last week’s agreement, which called for aid levels matching those during March’s brief ceasefire. Israel had blocked most food and medicine during the war, causing widespread famine.
Ela Haimi, whose husband Tal Haimi died when Hamas attacked Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak on 7 October, supported restricting aid. “I had the information that [Hamas] are not doing everything they can. The Israeli army gave them information and they didn’t use it,” she said. She added that Israel should not proceed to phase two until all dead hostages return.
Six killed as Israeli forces open fire
Israeli forces killed six civilians who approached their positions in two separate incidents on Tuesday, according to Gaza authorities.
Mahmud Bassal, a Gaza civil defence spokesman, said drones killed five people inspecting homes in Gaza City’s Shuja’iya district and another person south-east of Khan Younis.
The Israeli military said forces fired after warning “suspects” who approached positions and a former Hamas arms cache.
Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem accused Israel of breaking ceasefire arrangements and evading commitments to mediators.
Hamas deployed armed fighters across Gaza to reassert authority, targeting opponents and those aligned with Israel. Video circulated Monday showed Hamas fighters executing seven bound men in a Gaza City square before onlookers.
Trump has permitted Hamas to temporarily reassert control. Israeli officials, who demand any settlement permanently disarm Hamas, have not publicly addressed the fighters’ return to streets.
Trump told reporters Tuesday night that Hamas must disarm. “If they don’t disarm we will disarm them and it will happen quickly and perhaps violently,” he said.
Aid remains severely limited
Humanitarian officials expressed dismay at the Rafah delay, saying limited supplies have entered Gaza since the ceasefire.
The UN reported tents, frozen meat, fresh fruit, flour and medicines entered Saturday. No trucks crossed Monday due to hostage transfers. Tuesday crossings remained shut for a Jewish religious holiday.
“We didn’t witness any significant change on the ground. In the north especially, we need services, tents, water, heavy equipment … Everything, basically. We cannot say there is a flood of aid,” said Amjad al-Shawa, director of the Palestinian NGO Network.
A Gaza hospital received 45 Palestinian bodies from Israel on Tuesday. Last week’s agreement required Israel to provide information on Palestinians who died in custody.
Transitional authority takes shape
Officials are establishing a transitional Gaza authority and multinational stabilisation force under the deal. A “board of peace” chaired by Trump and possibly led by former British prime minister Tony Blair would oversee both.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said 15 Palestinian technocrats have been selected to administer Gaza. All Palestinian factions, including Hamas, approved the selections. Israel vetted them.
“We need to deploy them to take care of the daily life of the people in Gaza, and the board of peace should support and supervise the flow of finance and money, which will come for the reconstruction of Gaza,” he said.
Tens of thousands are returning to destroyed homes as Gaza’s devastation becomes fully visible.
Jaco Cilliers, a UN Development Programme special representative, said the UN, EU and World Bank jointly estimate reconstruction will cost $70 billion (£53 billion). The damage produced 55 million tonnes of rubble, equivalent to 13 Giza pyramids, he said.
Gaza needs $20 billion within three years. The remainder will require a longer period, possibly decades.
(information from The Guardian)
