Four More Bodies

The last remains of Israelis held in Gaza are back in Israel as we see in a report from i24news.tv:

Israel received coffins early Thursday from the Red Cross, after the alleged remains of four Israeli hostages murdered in captivity had been transferred to the international organization in the Gaza Strip.

The bodies then identified:

The four were positively identified as Itzik Elgarat, Ohad Yahalomi, Shlomo Mansour, and Tsachi Idan, who were kidnapped from their homes on October 7, 2023, before being murdered while held hostage by Hamas in Gaza. Hundreds of Palestinian prisoners were released to secure the return of the bodies.

The exchange was more respectful than the previous exchanges:

"The coffins were, with Egyptian mediation, handed over to an IDF force at the Kerem Shalom Crossing," the Prime Minister's Office said in a statement. "The initial identification process on Israeli territory has begun. The families of the hostages are being continuously updated and will be officially notified upon the completion of the identification process."

Three men were killed by terrorists in captivity while one died during the initial massacre:

Later, the office said that forensic tests found that "Ohad, Tzachi and Itzhak were murdered in captivity in Gaza. Shlomo Mansour was murdered in the murderous massacre on October 7, 2023, and his body was held in the Gaza Strip."

While the return of the remains will give their families closure we must always remember that 620 prisoners were released as well. Over 100 were deported to Egypt to then be sent to other countries. The rest are heading to the Gaza Strip and the West Bank where they will no doubt go back to terrorism since history shows us that 80% do that. Rather than Hamas getting weaker, they are rebuilding as we see next.

Hamas Getting Stronger

We’re told in an article from The Jerusalem Post that Hamas is using the ceasefire to get stronger:

Hamas terrorists have repurposed unexploded material into improvised explosive devices and scanned properties for listening devices left behind by the IDF to track their movements, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday.

Hamas is also trying to sniff out Israeli spies:

According to the report, Hamas is monitoring Gaza for potential spies and has designated a separate unit to detect and counter any Israeli infiltration, Arab officials told the WSJ.

They are also rebuilding their leadership, too:

In addition, Hamas’s armed wing has appointed new commanders and begun repairing its underground tunnel network in preparation for the possibility of returning to war with Israel, according to officials.

It then makes sense that Hamas will want to keep the ceasefire going but it’s more likely that phase 2 won’t work and the war will continue:

These preparations from Hamas come as Israel and US officials push to extend the current ceasefire agreement in Gaza, which is meant to expire on Saturday. The 42nd day of the ceasefire is supposed to signal the transition from phase one to phase two of the signed deal.

However, if no negotiations are reached, Israel and Hamas will return to war, putting a pause on any further release of Israeli hostages in Gaza or Palestinian prisoners.

Hamas all but said that they want the deal to continue:

On Thursday morning, soon after the remains of four slain Israeli hostages and some 600 Palestinian prisoners were released, Hamas stated that the only way the remaining hostages would be freed was through a commitment to a ceasefire deal, The Jerusalem Post reported.

"We reiterate that the only way to secure the release of the occupation’s prisoners in Gaza is through negotiation and adherence to the agreed-upon terms," Hamas's statement read.

"Any attempts by Netanyahu and his government to backtrack on or obstruct the agreement will only lead to further suffering for the prisoners and their families."

"We have closed the door on the enemy’s false justifications, leaving it with no option but to begin negotiations for the second phase."

So far Hamas is stalling even as they publicly say they want to negotiate:

Although the terrorist organization claims that it is ready to negotiate, phase two negotiations have stalled, Israeli officials told The Post.

"Witkoff did have a conversation with Dermer, and the mediators – there were ideas and inquiries, but no real negotiation with Hamas," said one of the sources.

As always, Hamas is sounding like they want a deal but really what they want is time to get stronger so that when the talks break down they can put up a good fight against what Israel promises will be a very intense assault. The difference is that the US won’t get in their way this time. And, although it’s not being reported on, Israel is getting stronger, too. Don’t be fooled by the Hamas propaganda. They don’t want peace, they want Israel destroyed.