Trucks loaded with humanitarian aid on the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing wait to cross into Gaza. Photograph: STR/AFP via Getty Images
Israel has threatened to resume fighting in Gaza after Hamas announced it cannot return any further remains of deceased Israeli hostages without specialist recovery equipment that is needed to retrieve the rest from the ruins of the devastated territory.
The threat from Israel Katz, the defence minister, came after Hamas handed over the remains of two further bodies late on Wednesday, bringing the total of known deceased hostages returned by Hamas to nine – along with a 10th body that Israel said was not that of a former hostage.
Israeli officials also said that the Rafah crossing from Gaza into Egypt, which aid agencies consider critical for bringing sufficient humanitarian assistance into the territory, would open at “a later stage” and not on Thursday as planned.
A spokesperson for Coga
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