Israel says Islamic Jihad's delay of hostage body handover ceasefire 'violation'

Israel on Tuesday said a delay by Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad in handing over a hostage body it said it had found in Gaza was a “violation” of the fragile ceasefire.

The armed wing of Islamic Jihad said it had located on Monday the body of a hostage during search operations in the central Gaza Strip.

A source in Islamic Jihad, who requested anonymity, confirmed the body belonged to one of the last three hostages held by militants in the territory.

“In light of the Islamic Jihad’s announcement regarding the location of findings related to a deceased hostage, Israel views with severity the delay in their immediate transfer,” the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement.

“This constitutes a further violation of the agreement. Israel demands the immediate return of the three deceased hostages still being held in the Gaza Strip,” it added.

At the start of the US-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, which came into effect on October 10, militants were holding 20 living hostages and 28 bodies of deceased captives.

Hamas has since released all the living hostages and returned the remains of 25 dead hostages, in line with the ceasefire terms.

In exchange, Israel has released nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners in its custody and returned the bodies of hundreds of dead Palestinians.