JERUSALEM/CAIRO: Aid trucks began entering Gaza on Wednesday as Israel resumed preparations to open the main Rafah crossing following a pause in the dispute over returning dead hostages’ bodies.
Israel had threatened to keep Rafah closed and reduce aid supplies due to Hamas returning bodies too slowly, jeopardising the fragile ceasefire that halted two years of devastating warfare.
The militant group returned more Israeli bodies overnight, prompting Israel to prepare Rafah for Gazan citizens and plan 600 aid truck entries.
Hamas’ armed wing announced it would hand over two additional bodies at 10 p.m. local time on Wednesday.
Hamas returned four confirmed dead hostage bodies on Monday and another four late Tuesday, though Israeli authorities disputed one body’s identity.
The bodies dispute still threatens the ceasefire alongside other unresolved major issues.
Israel states the truce’s next phase requires Hamas to disarm and cede power, which the group has so far refused.
Hamas has launched a security crackdown, demonstrating its control through public executions and clashes with local clans.
Longer-term ceasefire elements including Gaza’s governance, an international stabilisation force, and Palestinian statehood moves remain undefined.
Twenty-one hostage bodies remain in Gaza, with some potentially difficult to locate due to wartime destruction.
An international task force is designated to recover these remains.
The agreement also mandates Israel return 360 Palestinian bodies, with the first group of 45 handed over on Tuesday for identification.
The conflict has created a humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, displacing nearly all residents and causing famine conditions.
“Our situation is utterly tragic. We went back to our homes in the al-Tuffah neighbourhood and found there are no homes at all,“ said Moemen Hassanein in Gaza City.
Reuters footage showed trucks carrying fuel and aid pallets moving from Egypt into the Rafah crossing at dawn.
It remained unclear if this convoy would complete its crossing as part of the 600 trucks scheduled for Wednesday.
Aid trucks also entered Gaza through other crossings while Rafah prepares to open for people on Thursday with EU mission deployment.
The Palestinian Authority announced preparations to operate the Rafah crossing alongside these developments.
“Humanitarian aid continues to enter the Gaza Strip through the Kerem Shalom Crossing and other crossings after Israeli security inspection,“ confirmed an Israeli security official.
UN relief coordinator Tom Fletcher described the 600 approved trucks as a “good base” but insufficient for actual needs.
“We have 190,000 metric tons of provisions on the borders waiting to go in and we’re determined to deliver,“ Fletcher stated.
Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir condemned the aid delivery as a “disgrace” on social media platform X.
“Nazi terrorism understands only force, and the only way to solve problems with it is to wipe it off the face of the earth,“ he added.
Several Palestinian factions have backed Hamas’ security crackdown against local clans in Gaza.
The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine described targeted clans as “hubs of crime” while Hamas executed alleged Israeli collaborators.
The US military’s Middle East command demanded Hamas “suspend violence and shooting at innocent Palestinian civilians” and disarm “without delay”.
US President Donald Trump endorsed Hamas’ crackdown on gangs while warning of airstrikes if disarming doesn’t follow.
Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas condemned public executions after authenticated video showed masked gunmen killing seven men.
Israeli forces have withdrawn to the truce-designated yellow line outside main cities, with Defence Minister Israel Katz promising immediate response to violations. – Reuters
