Gaza, MINA – The Israeli occupation army has launched search operations beyond the so-called “yellow line” in the Gaza Strip to locate the remains of hostages, Israel’s public broadcaster KAN reported late Saturday.
Citing a security source, KAN said the searches are being conducted in areas under Israeli military control within the yellow line, a non-physical demarcation zone marking the positions Israeli troops withdrew to under the recent ceasefire agreement earlier this month. The line stretches from the southern edge of northern Gaza to the outskirts of Rafah in the south.
The source said the operations are guided by intelligence assessments suggesting the possible presence of bodies in the area. “Starting Sunday, heavy engineering vehicles will be allowed to enter Gaza to help speed up search operations,” the source added, without providing further details.
Meanwhile, Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya said in an interview that the group will also continue its own searches across several areas in Gaza to recover the remains of Israeli hostages.
Also Read: Violating Ceasefire, Israeli Defense Minister Orders Gaza Destruction
Since Oct. 13, Hamas has released 20 living Israeli hostages and returned the bodies of 16 others, leaving 12 still unaccounted for, as part of the ceasefire agreement that took effect on Oct. 10. The war on Gaza, described by observers as genocidal, has killed more than 68,000 Palestinians and injured over 170,000 others since October 2023, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.[]
Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)
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