Egypt and the Red Cross have been allowed to join forces with Hamas in the search for bodies of Israeli hostages taken during the October 7 attacks in Gaza.
The move comes after a week-long standoff between Israel and Hamas over the return of the hostage bodies, which is part of a US-brokered ceasefire deal. Egyptian authorities will work alongside teams from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to locate the bodies beyond the so-called "yellow line" in Gaza controlled by the Israel Defense Forces.
The news has been welcomed by relatives who had been desperate for proper burial arrangements.
Egypt, along with Qatar and Turkey, is a key signatory of the Trump-brokered peace plan for Gaza. The Egyptian excavation teams will use heavy machinery to search beyond the "yellow line".
Hamas says it's doing its best to retrieve the bodies but faces difficulty finding them under rubble caused by Israeli military attacks in Gaza. The group has been coordinating with Egyptian authorities as part of the deal.
The US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that several countries had offered to join an international force in Gaza but that Israel would need to be comfortable with any participants.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that Israel will determine which foreign forces it allows into the planned international force, emphasizing control over its own security.
The move comes after a week-long standoff between Israel and Hamas over the return of the hostage bodies, which is part of a US-brokered ceasefire deal. Egyptian authorities will work alongside teams from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to locate the bodies beyond the so-called "yellow line" in Gaza controlled by the Israel Defense Forces.
The news has been welcomed by relatives who had been desperate for proper burial arrangements.
Egypt, along with Qatar and Turkey, is a key signatory of the Trump-brokered peace plan for Gaza. The Egyptian excavation teams will use heavy machinery to search beyond the "yellow line".
Hamas says it's doing its best to retrieve the bodies but faces difficulty finding them under rubble caused by Israeli military attacks in Gaza. The group has been coordinating with Egyptian authorities as part of the deal.
The US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that several countries had offered to join an international force in Gaza but that Israel would need to be comfortable with any participants.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that Israel will determine which foreign forces it allows into the planned international force, emphasizing control over its own security.
This is so good news for those families who lost loved ones 
... their bodies finally get to be found 
and buried with dignity 
... no more uncertainty or waiting 
... it's a big step towards healing 
... hope the Egyptians, Red Cross, and ICRC can work magic 
and locate all the bodies 
. The US and Egypt seem like they're trying to mediate, but at the end of the day, it's gonna be a delicate situation. Those Israeli bodies are still out there, and I just hope that everyone can work together without making things worse 
think its cool that egypthe & red cross are teaming up with hamas to find those israeli hostages bodies... at least now relatives can get some closure and have proper burials arrangements 
its all about finding solutions and moving forward 
... i mean, who would've thought egypt and red cross join hands with hamas to find those hostages? it's all about family and closure for them, you know? they've been searching for weeks and this deal finally brings some hope 
. i'm just glad no one has to suffer because of politics - those families are going through hell 
. how interesting that the US secretary of state said a bunch of countries wanted in on this but only if israel says yes 
... guess you can't force peace, right?
... it's just heartbreaking to think about their families not having closure for so long. I can only imagine how frustrating and stressful this must be for everyone involved, but at least we're seeing some progress now 
... fingers crossed that we can get some real progress soon!
We can't keep having these conflicts and expecting everyone to just... deal with it. It's like, we're all human beings here! 
anyway I'm just glad some fam members are finally gonna get closure and can plan a proper burial ceremony for their loved ones 
. think about it, if we were in their shoes, wouldnt want some random 4th party coming in and claiming our kin? i mean, its all good, but why should israel be the only ones calling the shots here? cant we have a neutral 3rd party to help out 
I mean, who wouldn't want to bring closure to those families with their loved ones missing? It's a huge step for humanity, you know? The fact that Egypt and the Red Cross are teaming up to help locate those bodies is just amazing. And it's not like they're doing this out of the goodness of their hearts (although, let's be real, who wouldn't want to be seen as heroes?) – nope, it's all part of a larger deal to try and broker some peace.
. Although, Benjamin Netanyahu being all controlling about who gets to join the international force? Yeah, that does feel like a major roadblock. But hey, fingers crossed that everyone can put their differences aside and get this done 
think egypt & red cross joinin forces w/ hamas 2 find israeli hostages bodyz might b a good 1st step tho? didnt no egypt had a hand in brokerin da peace plan 
but hey, every little bit counts, right? 
. I mean, it's not like they're going into Gaza without proper planning and precautions in place. And yeah, Israel has every right to determine which foreign forces they allow into their territory... but at what cost? This whole situation is just so... complicated 