Israel is considering expanding the area it controls in the Gaza Strip as a sanction against Hamas, due to the terror group’s failure to return the bodies of Israeli hostages since last Tuesday, when Arie Zalmanowicz and Tamir Adar were brought back for burial in Israel.
Meanwhile, just hours before the deadline set by U.S. President Donald Trump expires, the Saudi-owned Al-Sharq channel reported Monday afternoon that Hamas has informed mediators it is “preparing to recover between seven and nine bodies.”
According to the report, which cited a source close to the recovery process, Hamas has located the remains of seven to nine hostages buried under rubble in several areas across the Gaza Strip. The source said the bodies would be handed over to the Red Cross immediately after recovery, though no timeline was provided. Members of Hamas’s military wing, the source added, continue working with heavy equipment recently brought in to aid in the search and recovery efforts.
Although Israeli officials are weighing punitive measures against Hamas, it remains unclear when—or if—the United States will approve them, given Washington’s close supervision of the ongoing agreement and its requirement that all Israeli actions receive prior consent.
On Sunday, searches focused on Rafah and Khan Yunis in southern Gaza. Reports said the operation in Rafah aimed to locate Lt. Hadar Goldin’s remains, while searches in Khan Yunis sought those of Amiram Cooper. Sources familiar with the matter said that under pressure from mediators, the IDF withdrew from an area under its control beyond the “yellow line” to avoid clashes with Hamas terrorists.
Those Hamas members, from the organization’s “Shadow Unit”, once responsible for guarding hostages, joined Red Cross teams in the recovery mission. Israeli authorities confirmed Sunday afternoon that they had permitted Hamas terrorists to accompany the Red Cross crews. Reports from Qatar said the teams operated in Rafah and were expected to move on to Gaza City.
The Saudi channel Al-Arabiya reported that Hamas had provided the Egyptian team with information on the locations of several bodies, while Al-Hadath said Hamas had given them maps. In any case, Jerusalem remains in close coordination with Washington, and Israeli officials say that once Trump’s deadline expires tonight, they expect a “green light” from the White House to impose sanctions—“we hope it happens tonight,” one source said.
Meanwhile, the Rafah crossing remains closed, marking more than a week of delays in reopening.
Alongside the strict U.S. oversight, a steady flow of senior American officials continues to arrive in Israel. U.S. Chief of Staff Gen. Dan Kane is expected to visit in the coming days and tour the American cease-fire command center in Kiryat Gat. Kane last visited Israel earlier this month with President Trump, meeting with IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir and attending Trump’s address in the Knesset.
The failure to return the bodies has effectively stalled implementation of the next phase of the agreement. Trump’s ultimatum—saying he was “watching closely what happens over the next 48 hours”—came after Washington became convinced that Hamas was lying about locating the remains of the hostages.