The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has initiated a critical search mission within the ruins of Gaza to locate the remains of deceased hostages. This urgent operation follows an ultimatum from Israel, demanding that Hamas return the bodies of the remaining 24 deceased hostages by Tuesday night. The ICRC has cautioned that finding and handing over these remains presents a "massive challenge" given the extensive rubble across Gaza and could take considerable time, potentially days or weeks.

So far, four coffins containing the remains of deceased hostages have been returned to Israel. These individuals have been identified as Guy Iluz, a 26-year-old Israeli national; Bipin Joshi, a 22-year-old Nepalese agriculture student; Yossi Sharabi; and Daniel Perez, 22. While Israel has identified these four, over 20 bodies are still unaccounted for. Christian Cardon, an ICRC spokesperson, emphasized the complexity of the task, stating that the search for human remains is significantly more challenging than facilitating the release of living individuals. To assist, the ICRC is providing an additional 23 staff members, body bags, and refrigerated vehicles to ensure dignified handling of the deceased within Gaza.

Bereaved families of the deceased hostages have voiced profound anger and frustration over the delay in the return of their loved ones' bodies. The Israeli Hostages and Missing Families Forum has labeled Hamas's failure to return all remains as a "blatant breach" of the ceasefire agreement, urging the government and mediators to take immediate action to rectify this "grave injustice." Israel suspects that Hamas may be deliberately withholding some bodies, a claim that, if true, further complicates the peace deal. Concerns are mounting that some remains may never be located, and Israel is reportedly reconsidering its decision to reopen the Rafah border crossing in light of Hamas's non-compliance.

A joint multinational task force, comprising representatives from Israel, the United States, Turkey, Qatar, and Egypt, has been established to aid in locating the unreturned bodies. Estimates regarding the number of bodies that might prove irretrievable range from seven to fifteen. Notably, U.S. President Donald Trump, who was involved in the peace plan, reportedly declared an end to the two-year war during the ceasefire deal's implementation and urged lawmakers to pursue broader peace in the region. One stipulation of his peace plan, as reported, was that Hamas release all hostages, dead or alive, within 72 hours.

In parallel with the search for deceased hostages, the ceasefire deal facilitated the release of the last living Israeli hostages from Gaza and busloads of Palestinian detainees from Israel. The ICRC, acting as a neutral humanitarian intermediary, has played a crucial role, having facilitated the transfer of 172 hostages and 3,473 Palestinian detainees since the war began on October 7, 2023. The release of the remaining 20 living hostages brought a mix of elation and relief, but also heightened the focus on the unrecovered bodies.

Stories from those released offer harrowing glimpses into their captivity. Avinatan Or, 32, who was captured at the Nova music festival, spent two years in solitary confinement, enduring starvation and terror, resulting in a 30-40% loss of body weight. Upon his release, he was reunited with his girlfriend, Noa Argamani, who had been freed earlier. Omri Miran, 48, a father of two, was held in 23 different locations, both above ground and in tunnels. He recalled playing cards and even cooking for his captors, some of whom spoke Hebrew. His reunion with his young daughters after 24 months was captured in moving images.

Elkana Bohbot, 36, an organizer of the Nova music festival, spent most of his captivity chained in a tunnel, losing all sense of time and space. He recounted insisting on a shower on his wedding day, a request initially refused but eventually granted by his captors. Matan Angrest, 22, a soldier, endured "very severe torture" during his initial months, including beatings to unconsciousness and psychological warfare, with captors falsely claiming his Holocaust-survivor grandparents were dead. He was confined to a small, dark tunnel for four months, often alone under special guard, and witnessed tunnel collapses from Israeli fire.

Guy Gilboa-Dalal, 24, was reportedly moved to different tunnels and "force-fed" in the last month of his captivity, a change potentially motivated by international outcry following a video of an emaciated fellow hostage. The twin brothers Gali and Ziv Berman, 28, captured from Kibbutz Kfar Aza, were held separately and cut off from the outside world. They experienced periods of food scarcity and abundance and reportedly could hear Israel Defense Forces activity nearby. Their emotional reunion after release symbolized the ordeal endured by many.

The broader implications of the deal are significant. Israel is set to release 250 Palestinians convicted of murder and other serious crimes, 1,700 Palestinians detained since the war began, 22 Palestinian minors, and the bodies of 360 militants. While the release of living hostages raised hopes for a permanent end to the conflict, questions remain unresolved regarding Hamas's disarmament and the future governance of Palestinian territories. The urgency to end the war may diminish now that the living hostages are free, potentially easing pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The conflict originated with Hamas's October 7, 2023, attack, which resulted in the deaths of 1,200 people and the capture of 251. Israel's retaliatory campaign has led to more than 67,000 deaths, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, whose figures are widely regarded as reliable by the U.N. and independent experts.