An Israeli security official says that Israel has been conducting searches over the past few days for deceased hostages within the "Yellow Line" in the Gaza Strip.
The searches, which are being conducted within the territory controlled by the IDF, are based on intelligence assessments designed to locate the missing bodies.
The official added that beginning today (Sunday), heavy engineering vehicles will be allowed to enter the Gaza Strip to expedite the searches for the bodies. At the same time, an Egyptian team entered the Gaza Strip as part of diplomatic-security efforts intended to advance the return of the hostages and the remains of the fallen.
Senior Hamas official Moussa Abu Marzouk told Al Jazeera earlier in the day that the handover of the bodies of slain hostages could take not just weeks but months, and that some remains may never be found. “We do not have bodies of the deceased hostages that we are able to deliver to Israel at this time,” he said.
Khalil al-Hayya, Hamas's lead negotiator, said that the terror organization is working with all its power to locate the bodies "in order not to give Israel excuses to renew the fighting."