Recovery efforts for the body of the last Israeli hostage in Gaza have been postponed due to severe weather conditions, including heavy rains, in the northern Gaza Strip.
Search Operations Delayed
An Israeli official, speaking anonymously to NPR, confirmed that coordinated search operations and sweeps are currently on hold. These efforts are expected to resume once ground conditions improve.
Ceasefire Agreement Impact
Phase two of the U.S.-brokered ceasefire agreement is contingent on the transfer of the body to Israeli authorities by Hamas. This phase would involve Hamas disarming and an Israeli military withdrawal from Gaza.
The individual identified as the last Israeli hostage is Ran Gvili, aged 24. Gvili, a member of an elite police unit, was killed while assisting individuals at the Nova music festival. The Hostages and Missing Families Forum stated that no search operations are presently active due to weather constraints.
The Israeli military has not confirmed the search delays but urged Hamas to "fulfill its part of the agreement." Hazem Qassim, a Hamas spokesman in Gaza, described the search efforts as "very complicated."
Mutual Accusations of Violations
Both Israel and Hamas have accused each other of breaching the terms of the first phase of the ceasefire. Since the ceasefire agreement in October, Israel has continued to conduct strikes in Gaza, which local health officials report have resulted in over 380 Palestinian fatalities.
Earlier this month, the Israeli military killed a Hamas leader it identified as the second-in-command of the group's military wing. Hamas subsequently labeled this action a violation of the ceasefire.
Humanitarian Situation in Gaza
Heavy rainfall has caused significant flooding in thousands of tents used as shelters by displaced Palestinians. Philippe Lazzarini, Commissioner-General for the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), appealed to the Israeli military to permit increased aid into Gaza, stating, "With heavy rain and cold brought in by Storm Byron, people in the Gaza Strip are freezing to death."
Lazzarini also reported that waterlogged building ruins are collapsing. Mahmoud Basal, spokesperson for Gaza civil defense, indicated that dozens of Palestinians have died due to these collapses, describing the compromised structures as "a major nightmare in Gaza" that "threaten the lives of thousands of people."