NEW DELHI, October 17. /TASS/. The transfer of hostages' bodies from Gaza is a complex process due to the widespread destruction, rather than any refusal by the Palestinian movement Hamas to fulfill its obligations under the ceasefire agreement, and it will take time to return the remains, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said during a briefing in New Delhi.
"With regard to the release of all hostages, we are still waiting for the handover of the remains of bodies, because it’s very complicated. It’s not because Hamas is not honoring its commitments, but because of logistical problems," he said.
"You cannot imagine the magnitude of destruction, the debris, and the explosive devices on the ground. That’s hindering the efforts of finding the bodies and handing them over to Israel," the top Egyptian diplomat added.
Badr Abdelatty noted that Egypt is working with Hamas, as well as with regional and international partners on the ground, "to locate and to hand over the bodies as soon as possible, but it will take time."
"This is what we told to the Americans, President Trump during his visit to Egypt, and they fully understand that. They are providing logistical support to locate the bodies and theу are working with us," the Egyptian foreign minister clarified.
On the morning of October 13 this year, radicals from the Palestinian movement Hamas, in accordance with the peace settlement agreements in Gaza, released 20 Israeli hostages who had remained in the enclave after two years. Later that evening, through the International Committee of the Red Cross, the Israeli side received the first four coffins with the remains of the deceased abductees. Israeli authorities immediately expressed dissatisfaction with the fact that only four bodies out of 28 were returned in the first phase. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz called this a deviation from the agreement and warned that further delays by the radicals would have consequences. On October 14, four more coffins were handed over to Israel.