ISTANBUL

The Palestinian resistance group Hamas said Sunday that it had located the remains of an Israeli hostage and would hand it over today “when field conditions permit.”

In a statement, the group’s armed wing, the Qassam Brigades, warned that any renewed Israeli escalation “will hinder search, digging and recovery operations.”

“This would delay Israel’s recovery of its dead,” it added.

The Israeli army launched airstrikes in the southern city of Rafah and the central town of Al-Zawayda on Sunday despite a ceasefire agreement with Hamas.

Hamas already released 20 living Israeli hostages and handed over the remains of 13 more captives in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners under the ceasefire agreement.

The deal was reached on Oct. 8, based on a phased plan presented by US President Donald Trump. Phase one included the release of Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. The plan also envisages the rebuilding of Gaza and the establishment of a new governing mechanism without Hamas.

Since October 2023, the Israeli genocidal war has killed more than 68,100 people and injured over 170,200, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.