After finding last body of Israeli soldier in Gaza, Hamas demands full implementation of ceasefire agreement
GAZA, Jan. 26 (YPA) – The Islamic Resistance Movement Hamas confirmed that it exerted great efforts in the search for the body of the last “Israeli” soldier in the Gaza Strip, and provided mediators with continuous information that contributed to the occupation’s ability to find the body.
In a statement issued on Monday, the movement said that this step came from its national responsibility and commitment to what was agreed upon, and within the framework of the resistance’s full commitment to the requirements of the first phase of the ceasefire agreement.
Hamas stressed that it has fulfilled all its obligations stipulated in the first phase of the agreement clearly and responsibly, confirming its cooperation on the issue of prisoners and bodies, despite the complexities and difficult field conditions in the Gaza Strip.
The Ezz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, announced, on Sunday, that it had provided mediators with accurate information about the location of the body of soldier Ran Gafili, confirming its commitment to transparency on the issue of prisoners and bodies, and calling on the international community to exert pressure on the occupation to implement the terms of the ceasefire agreement.
In return, Hamas demanded that the Israeli occupation fully commit to implementing the terms of the agreement without any reduction or delay, foremost among them opening Rafah crossing in both directions without restrictions, allowing the entry of the Gaza Strip’s needs in the required quantities, and lifting the ban on any of them.
The movement also called for a complete withdrawal from Gaza Strip and facilitating the work of the National Committee for Managing the Affairs of the Strip, considering this an essential part of the obligations stipulated in the agreement.
In addition, Hamas called on the guarantor states of the ceasefire agreement to assume their responsibilities and work to ensure the implementation of the obligations obstructed by the occupation, stressing that finding the body of the Israeli soldier eliminates the pretext used by the occupation to delay the implementation of the agreement’s terms.
The movement’s statement comes after the occupation announced the discovery of the body of soldier Ran Gafili, following extensive search operations that included exhuming hundreds of graves east of Gaza City, a move that sparked widespread human rights criticism and was considered a blatant violation of the sanctity of the dead and Palestinian cemeteries.
It should be noted that the issue of the soldier and the bodies is linked to the start of the second phase of the ceasefire agreement and the reopening of Rafah crossing, amid regional and international pressure to push the occupation to fully comply with the agreement’s terms.