Egyptian team enters Gaza to search for bodies of Israeli hostages

An Egyptian convoy of vehicles and heavy construction machinery entered the Gaza Strip overnight from Saturday to Sunday to assist in the search for the bodies of Israeli hostages killed by Hamas, according to The Times of Israel.

The unusual cooperation comes after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu personally authorized the entry of an Egyptian technical team, accompanied by several engineering vehicles. “This is a technical team,” the Prime Minister’s Office confirmed. “Their role is solely to assist in locating the bodies of murdered hostages.”

On Saturday night, Al-Qahera News, a media outlet affiliated with the Egyptian state, reported the dispatch of an Egyptian team toward Gaza to take part in this humanitarian mission.

The operation is part of the broader implementation of the Gaza ceasefire agreement, which was brokered based on a peace framework initiated by former U.S. President Donald Trump. Under this agreement, Hamas released 20 living hostages in exchange for the liberation of nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners on October 13. However, of the 28 bodies Hamas committed to returning, only 15 have so far been handed over to Israeli authorities.

Hamas has claimed that the delay in returning the remaining bodies is due to the destruction caused by months of conflict. The group insists it needs more time, resources, and technical assistance to recover the corpses buried under rubble across the war-torn territory.

Previously, Turkey had sent a team of 81 rescue personnel to Egypt in mid-October with the same mission, but Israeli authorities denied them entry into Gaza, reportedly over concerns related to regional security dynamics.

The Egyptian team's presence in Gaza is seen as a rare gesture of coordination between Egypt and Israel amidst an ongoing fragile truce. Whether it will lead to further breakthroughs in the recovery efforts—or signal a broader role for Egypt in the conflict’s humanitarian aftermath—remains to be seen.