Israelis celebrated the return of the last 20 living hostages who were held in Gaza under the first phase of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire. But Hamas and Israel are now arguing over the release of the remains of the last eight hostages. Hamas says it has not been able to reach all of the remains because they are buried under rubble left behind by Israel’s two-year offensive in the Gaza Strip. Israel has accused the militants of dragging their feet and threatened to resume military operations or withhold humanitarian aid if all of the remains are not returned.

Since the ceasefire began this month, Israel has released the remains of 225 Palestinians to Gaza in exchange for the remains of the hostages, many of whom were killed in Israel during the attack. Only around 80 of the 270 Palestinian bodies returned since the ceasefire began have been identified, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.

The ºÃÉ«tv Press. All rights reserved.