🔗 Share this article Egyptian authorities and International Committee of the Red Cross Participate in Search for Hostage Bodies in Gaza International machinery enters into the Gaza territory Teams from Egypt and the ICRC have been granted permission to locate the bodies of deceased hostages taken during the 7 October attacks, officials in Israel have confirmed. The authorities in Israel stated that the crews have been allowed to operate beyond the so-called "demarcation line" in the area controlled by Israeli forces in the Gaza territory. The group has transferred 15 out of 28 deceased Israeli hostages under the first phase of a US-brokered ceasefire deal, which requires it to hand over all remains of captives. The organization said it is now coordinating with Egyptian authorities. The former US president has cautions the organization to begin returning the remains "quickly, or the other countries involved in this great peace will intervene". An Israeli spokesperson indicated the Egyptian team has been authorized to collaborate with the Red Cross to find the bodies, and would use digging equipment and trucks for the search beyond the "yellow line". The "demarcation line" marks the boundary running along the north, south and eastern of the Gaza territory that Israel pulled back to, as part of the initial phase of the truce agreement. Previously, Israeli authorities has not authorized the entry of such teams. The Egyptian government, along with Qatar and Turkey, is a key signatory of the Trump-brokered Gaza peace plan, which was ratified in the coastal city of the resort town in recent weeks. The development will be welcomed by relatives, eager to provide a dignified funeral. The ICRC has already been deeply engaged in the return of captives. The organization does not transfer its detainees - living or deceased - straight to the Israel Defense Forces, but rather to the ICRC, which in turn escorts them through the territory and hands them on to the IDF. But the arrival of digging crews from Egypt inside the Gaza Strip is a recent development. After more than two years of intense bombardment by Israeli forces, the UN calculates that as much as eighty-four percent of the territory has been reduced to rubble. Hamas says it is doing its best to recover remains of captives, but it faces difficulty finding them under debris of buildings destroyed by the Israeli military in the region. It is now coordinating with the officials in Egypt. On Sunday, an Israeli government spokesperson stated that Hamas knew where the remains were. "If the group made more of an effort, they would be able to retrieve the remains of our captives," the representative said. The former president shared on his Truth Social platform on Saturday that action would be taken if the bodies of the hostages who died were not handed back promptly. "Some of the bodies are difficult to access, but others they can return now and, for unknown reasons, they are not. Perhaps it has to do with their demilitarization," he remarked. Trump continued: "We will observe what they accomplish over the next 48 hours. I am monitoring the situation very closely." Palestinian children dying as they wait for Israel to permit evacuations Rubio states many countries willing to join the region's security force New images show demarcation zone further into Gaza than anticipated On Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would determine which foreign forces it would permit as part of a proposed multinational contingent in the region to help secure the truce under Trump's plan. "We are in control of our security, and we have also stated explicitly regarding foreign troops that we will decide which forces are unacceptable to us, and this is how we operate and will proceed," he declared talking at the start of a cabinet meeting. On the end of the week, the American diplomat indicated "a lot of countries" had offered to be part of the contingent - but noted Israel would have to be satisfied with those taking part. This seemed like a allusion to Turkey, amid accounts Israeli officials had vetoed the country's participation. It was still uncertain, however, how this contingent could be stationed without an understanding with the organization. Israel launched a armed operation in Gaza in response to the incidents of October 7th, in which militants associated with the group killed about twelve hundred individuals and took 251 others as hostages. No fewer than sixty-eight thousand five hundred nineteen have been lost their lives in military actions in Gaza from that time, according to the area's Hamas-run health ministry.