Hamas says retrieving bodies of captive proving extremely difficult

Hamas says its teams are struggling to recover the bodies of detainees killed during Israel’s war on Gaza, describing the situation on the ground as extremely challenging.

Khalil al-Hayya, the head of Hamas’s negotiating delegation, said the movement is “serious about extracting the bodies of all detained prisoners”, despite the difficult conditions inside the destroyed enclave.

“We are finding it extremely difficult to retrieve the bodies, but we continue our efforts with confidence and determination to implement the ceasefire agreement,” he said, reaffirming that Hamas remains committed to the terms agreed with other Palestinian factions.

Al-Hayya added that aid flow must rapidly increase to meet the scale of humanitarian need.