Recovery efforts for the body of the last Israeli hostage believed to be held in Gaza have been postponed due to heavy rainfall and adverse weather conditions in the northern Gaza Strip. This delay impacts the progression to phase two of a U.S.-brokered ceasefire agreement.
An Israeli official, who requested anonymity, stated that search operations and sweeps are currently on hold and are expected to resume once ground conditions improve.
Ceasefire Agreement Context
Phase two of the ceasefire agreement mandates Hamas to lay down arms and an Israeli military withdrawal from Gaza. The full implementation of this phase is dependent on the transfer of the last hostage's body to Israeli authorities.
Ran Gvili, aged 24, a member of an Israeli police unit, was killed while assisting individuals during the Nova music festival. His body is the final Israeli hostage's remains subject to transfer.
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum confirmed that no search operations were active due to the weather. The Israeli military did not confirm search delays but urged Hamas to fulfill its obligations under the agreement. Hazem Qassim, a Hamas spokesman in Gaza, described the search efforts as "very complicated."
Ongoing Conflict and Humanitarian Situation
Both Israel and Hamas have accused each other of violating the terms of the initial phase of the ceasefire. Since the ceasefire deal was established in October, Israeli forces have continued to conduct strikes in Gaza, resulting in over 380 Palestinian fatalities, according to local health officials. Hamas identified the assassination of a senior leader, considered the group's second-in-command of its military wing, by the Israeli military earlier this month as a violation of the ceasefire.
Concurrently, heavy rains have exacerbated the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, flooding thousands of tents used as shelters by displaced Palestinians. Philippe Lazzarini, Commissioner-General of the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), reported that individuals in Gaza were succumbing to the cold and that waterlogged building ruins were collapsing. Mahmoud Basal, spokesperson for Gaza civil defense, indicated that dozens of Palestinians died due to building collapses, describing these structures as a "major nightmare" and a threat to thousands of lives.