AKIPRESS.COM - The Palestinian Hamas movement is determined to fulfill the terms of the Gaza ceasefire agreement and continues efforts to recover the bodies of Israeli hostages killed in the enclave, Khalil al-Hayya, head of the movement in Gaza and leader of its negotiating delegation, said, TASS reported.

"We are facing serious difficulties in retrieving the bodies, but we continue our efforts and remain committed to implementing the ceasefire agreement," Al-Hayya said, as quoted by Al Jazeera. "We are committed to the agreements reached," he emphasized, adding that statements from mediators and US President Donald Trump "reassure [Hamas] that the war in Gaza is over."

Israel and Hamas resumed indirect talks on stabilizing the situation in the Gaza Strip on October 6, mediated by Egypt, Qatar, the United States, and Turkey. On October 9, the parties signed an agreement to implement the first phase of Trump’s Gaza ceasefire plan, which came into effect on October 10.

On the morning of October 13, Hamas and other Palestinian groups released all 20 living hostages and handed over the bodies of four deceased in accordance with the Gaza ceasefire deal. The hostages were transferred to the Israeli military through the Red Cross and are now in Israeli territory. However, Israeli authorities voiced dissatisfaction that only four of the 28 bodies were returned in the first stage. Defense Minister Israel Katz called it a deviation from the agreement and warned that any further delays by the radicals would have consequences.

In total, Israel has received 14 coffins from Gaza, and forensic experts have identified the bodies of 13 hostages. According to Israeli sources, Palestinian militants continue to hold the remains of 15 kidnapped victims in the enclave.

On October 17, Asharq al-Awsat reported, citing Hamas sources, that Palestinian radicals would need to conduct a "large-scale search operation" to locate the remaining bodies. The process, the sources said, is hindered by the deaths of Hamas members who knew where the bodies were buried and by the complete destruction of some areas of the enclave by Israeli strikes, making access to those sites extremely difficult.