🔗 Share this article Egyptian authorities along with Red Cross Join Search for Captive Bodies in Gaza Strip Egyptian equipment crosses into the Gaza Strip Units from Egypt and the International Committee of the Red Cross have been granted permission to search for the remains of deceased hostages taken during the October 7th incidents, officials in Israel have verified. The Israeli government stated that the crews have been allowed to search past the so-called "demarcation line" in the region controlled by Israeli forces in the Gaza territory. Hamas has handed over fifteen out of twenty-eight deceased Israeli hostages under the initial stage of a American-mediated truce agreement, which mandates it to hand over all hostage bodies. The group stated it is now coordinating with officials in Egypt. The former US president has cautions the organization to start return the bodies "quickly, or the other countries involved in this great peace will intervene". An official representative indicated the crew from Egypt has been permitted to work with the Red Cross to locate the bodies, and would use excavator machines and trucks for the search beyond the "demarcation line". The "demarcation line" marks the border running along the northern, southern and east of the Gaza territory that Israel pulled back to, as part of the initial phase of the truce agreement. Previously, Israel has not authorized the access of these crews. Egypt, along with Qatari officials and Turkish authorities, is a key signatory of the Trump-brokered peace initiative for Gaza, which was ratified in the Egyptian resort of the resort town earlier this month. The news will be greeted positively by relatives, eager to provide a proper burial. The ICRC has already been deeply engaged in the return of hostages. The organization does not hand over its detainees - living or deceased - directly to the Israel Defense Forces, but instead to the ICRC, which in turn escorts them through the territory and transfers them to the IDF. But the entry of Egyptian excavation teams inside the Gaza Strip is new. After more than two years of heavy shelling by Israel, the UN calculates that as much as 84% of the area has been reduced to rubble. The group says it is making every effort to recover remains of captives, but it faces difficulty finding them under rubble of buildings destroyed by the Israeli military in Gaza. It is now working in coordination with the officials in Egypt. On the weekend, an official representative stated that the organization knew where the remains were. "If Hamas made more of an effort, they would be able to retrieve the remains of our captives," the spokesperson said. The former president shared on his social media account on Saturday that measures would be taken if the remains of the deceased hostages were not returned quickly. "Some of the bodies are difficult to access, but others they can hand over at present and, for some reason, they are not. Perhaps it has do with their disarming," he remarked. Trump continued: "Let's see what they do over the coming two days. I am watching this with great attention." Palestinian minors dying as they wait for Israel to permit relocations The US Secretary of State says many countries willing to participate in Gaza peacekeeping unit New images reveal Israeli control line deeper into Gaza than expected On Sunday, the Israeli leader said the country would determine which foreign forces it would permit as part of a planned multinational contingent in the region to help secure the truce under the former president's initiative. "We are in control of our safety, and we have also stated explicitly regarding international forces that we will decide which forces are unacceptable to us, and this is how we function and will continue to operate," he declared talking at the beginning of a cabinet meeting. On the end of the week, the American diplomat said "numerous countries" had volunteered to be part of the contingent - but noted Israeli authorities would have to be satisfied with those taking part. This seemed like a reference to Turkey, amid reports Israeli officials had vetoed the nation's involvement. It remained unclear, however, how such a force could be deployed without an understanding with Hamas. The Israeli military initiated a armed operation in Gaza in following the incidents of October 7th, in which Hamas-led gunmen killed about twelve hundred people and captured two hundred fifty-one others as hostages. At least sixty-eight thousand five hundred nineteen have been lost their lives in Israeli attacks in the region from that time, according to the area's Hamas-run health ministry.