Hamas returns four more hostage bodies as Israel restricts Gaza aid

Hamas returned the remains of four additional hostages to Israel on Tuesday night, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) confirmed, as authorities work to identify them.

The Red Cross transported the coffins and handed them over to Israeli officials in a carefully coordinated transfer.

The move follows Israel’s warning that humanitarian aid to Gaza could be restricted until all 28 deceased hostages were returned. On Monday, Hamas handed back 20 living hostages along with four bodies.

Separately, the Red Cross said that Gaza received the remains of 45 Palestinians who had been detained in Israel.

The first four deceased hostages released on Monday were identified as Daniel Peretz, 22; Yossi Sharabi, 53; Guy Illouz, 26; and Bipin Joshi, 23, a Nepalese citizen.

US President Donald Trump’s ceasefire plan, agreed by Israel and Hamas, had called for the return of all 48 hostages by Monday noon.

While living hostages were repatriated, concerns are mounting over the 20 bodies still in Hamas custody, raising fears about the stability of the ceasefire.

"Hamas is required to fulfil its part of the agreement and make the necessary efforts to return all the hostages to their families and to proper burial."

Israel’s defence minister warned that "any delay or deliberate avoidance will be considered a gross violation of the agreement and will be responded to accordingly."

Israeli authorities decided to limit aid deliveries and postpone plans to reopen the Rafah crossing with Egypt after Hamas failed to meet its obligations under the ceasefire. Hamas stated that locating all the dead hostages has been difficult.

Tayseer Abed, a Gaza-based writer documenting the conflict, called the delay "a dangerous test for the ceasefire," warning that failure to return the bodies could spark a fresh round of violence.

Under Trump’s 20-point peace plan, nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners were released to help end the two-year conflict. The ceasefire went into effect at 12:00 local time on October 10.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he remains hopeful about the next stage of talks with Hamas, stressing that the plan’s conditions are clear.

"First, Hamas has to give up its arms. And second, you want to make sure that there are no weapons factories inside Gaza. There's no smuggling of weapons into Gaza. That's demilitarisation,” he said.

Despite the ceasefire largely holding, Palestinian Civil Defence reported seven deaths on Tuesday from Israeli strikes in eastern Gaza and near Khan Younis.

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An Israeli drone strike in Shejaiya killed five people, with the military saying it targeted residents who crossed the “yellow line” under the ceasefire terms.

Trump signed the ceasefire agreement on Monday with Egypt and Qatar, with Turkey playing a key role in negotiations. Over 20 world leaders, including the UK’s Keir Starmer and France’s Emmanuel Macron, were present, though neither Netanyahu nor Hamas attended.

The plan calls for Gaza to be run temporarily by Palestinian technocrats under the “Board of Peace” before control transitions to the Palestinian Authority after reforms. Negotiations are still complex over troop withdrawals, Hamas disarmament, and Gaza’s governance.

Hamas insists it will not disarm without recognition of a Palestinian state and opposes foreign administration of Gaza.