Egypt Joins Search For Deceased Israeli Hostages In Gaza

Last Updated:October 27, 2025, 02:58 IST

Egypt and ICRC teams, permitted by Israel, are searching Gaza for bodies of hostages from the October 7 attacks, as part of a US-brokered ceasefire

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday said that Israel will determine which foreign forces will be allowed as part of a planned international force in Gaza to help secure the ceasefire under Trump's plan. | File Image: AFP

Teams from Egypt and the Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) have joined the search for bodies of deceased hostages taken during the October 7, 2023, attacks, Israel said.

BBC quoted the Israeli government as saying that the teams have been permitted to search beyond the so-called “yellow line" in the area controlled by Israeli forces in Gaza.

Till now, Hamas has transferred 15 out of 28 deceased hostages under the first phase of a US-brokered ceasefire deal, which requires it to transfer all hostage bodies.

US President Donald Trump has warned Hamas to return the bodies “quickly, or the other countries involved in this great peace will take action".

The militant group said it is working with the Egyptian authorities to search for the bodies. They added that it was facing difficulty in finding the bodies under rubble of buildings bombed out by the Israeli military in Gaza.

BBC quoted an Israeli spokesperson as saying that the Egyptian team has been permitted to work with the ICRC to locate the bodies, and would use excavator machines and trucks for the search beyond the “yellow line".

The “yellow line" is the boundary along the north, south and east of Gaza that Israel withdrew to, as part of the first stage of the ceasefire deal.

The spokesperson said: “If Hamas made more of an effort, they would be able to retrieve the remains of our hostages."

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday said that Israel will determine which foreign forces will be allowed as part of a planned international force in Gaza to help secure the ceasefire under Trump’s plan.

“We are in control of our security, and we have also made it clear regarding international forces that Israel will determine which forces are unacceptable to us, and this is how we operate and will continue to operate," he said speaking at the start of a cabinet meeting.

Egypt, Qatar and Turkey are key parts of the Trump-brokered Gaza peace plan, which was signed in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh earlier this month.

Meanwhile, the Red Cross has already been involved in the return of the hostages.

According to BBC, Hamas does not hand over its captives – living or deceased – directly to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), but rather to the ICRC, which in turn escorts them through Gaza and hands them on to the IDF.

News world Egypt Joins Search For Deceased Israeli Hostages In Gaza

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