Hamas has recovered the bodies of three Israeli hostages in Gaza, Saudi broadcaster Al Arabiya reported Sunday, citing sources within the terror organization.
The area where Hamas claims to have located the bodies is on the Israeli side of the ceasefire line, known as the "yellow line," in eastern Khan Younis. The political echelon approved the move to allow Hamas to conduct a faster search than the IDF could, given limited intelligence.
The report comes nearly a month after a hostage-return agreement was reached, with 11 known bodies still remaining in Hamas custody.
Senior Israeli officials accused Hamas of intentionally stalling the process, saying the group could return more remains "immediately, with minimal effort." One official described Hamas' conduct as “calculated and cynical,” aimed at buying time, consolidating control over rival factions and extracting financial and political gains.
“Hamas is not acting in good faith,” one source said. “It is dragging out the process while exploiting the situation.”
Despite the frustration, officials said they are trying to maintain coordination with the United States, weighing sanctions against Hamas while preserving diplomatic space. “Returning the bodies is far easier than Hamas claims. Should we apply pressure? Yes. Should we also preserve diplomatic channels with the Americans? Yes.”
The officials acknowledged a sense of relief over the return of 17 bodies so far but noted that Hamas’ history of violating agreements comes as no surprise. “No one in Israel is surprised by Hamas breaking the deal. We knew this would happen,” an official said, adding that Israel’s control over border crossings and other leverage points positions it well should harsher action be needed.
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The remains of 11 hostages remain in the Gaza Strip
(Photo: Israel Police, courtesy of the families, Blue Ribbons)
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the issue at Sunday’s Cabinet meeting, rejecting criticism of Israeli dependence on Washington and accusing Hamas of deceiving the international community. “Hamas’ attempts to mislead us, the U.S. and the world are pathetic. They will fail,” he said. “We are committed to bringing all our hostages home.”
Netanyahu reaffirmed that returning the hostages remains Israel’s top priority and emphasized that Hamas “is a shadow of what it was” as Israeli forces continue to dismantle its remaining pockets of resistance in Gaza. He noted that Israel acts in coordination with the U.S. but does not seek its permission: “We report to our American friends, but we don’t ask for their approval. We retain full security responsibility.”
Despite the return last week of the bodies of Amiram Cooper and Sahar Baruch, security officials say Hamas continues to manipulate the process. The agreement, rooted in the 20-point plan for Gaza advanced by U.S. President Donald Trump, has exposed significant flaws — chief among them a lack of enforcement tools or clear incentives for Hamas to comply.
Israeli officials noted that even the two bodies recently returned by Hamas came only after delays and violations of the ceasefire, including a deadly incident in Rafah that claimed the life of reservist Efi Feldbaum.
Behind the scenes, Israeli officials describe ongoing friction with Washington, with the U.S. reportedly blocking tougher Israeli measures and vetoing proposed sanctions or military responses. Trump, who set a deadline for Hamas but has not acted on it, has shown little appetite for escalation.
In Israel, frustration is growing over what is seen as U.S. micromanagement of the crisis. “Hamas understands the dynamic and is exploiting the waiting game,” one official said.
The 11 hostages whose remains are still in Gaza include IDF officers and soldiers: Capt. Omer Neutra, Sgt. 1st Class Ran Gvili, Staff Sgt. Itay Chen, Sgt. Oz Daniel, Col. Asaf Hamami, Lt. Hadar Goldin, as well as civilians Dror Or, Meni Godard, Lior Rudaeff, Joshua Luito Mollel and Sontisek Rintalk.