The Gaza Agreement: The Rafah Crossing and Remains Issue Await U.S. Mediation
All eyes are on Washington as hopes rise for a resolution to the crisis hindering President Donald Trump’s plan for Gaza.
Israel has tied the implementation of its commitments under the agreement to the return of all deceased Israeli hostages’ remains, while Hamas insists that delivering the remaining bodies requires logistical and technical assistance.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office announced in a statement that “Israel has received, through the International Committee of the Red Cross, the coffins of two deceased hostages handed over to the Israeli army and the Shin Bet inside the Gaza Strip.”
The statement added that “the bodies will then be transferred to Israel, where they will be received with military honors in the presence of the Chief Military Rabbi, before being taken to the National Forensic Medicine Center under the Ministry of Health.”
After identification procedures are completed, the victims’ families will be officially notified.
With these two bodies received from Hamas, Israel has now recovered the remains of twelve hostages, while sixteen more are still in Gaza. Hamas has pledged to hand them over, but the widespread destruction in the enclave makes the process slow and difficult.
However, Netanyahu has linked the reopening of the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt to the complete delivery of the remains — a move that Hamas and mediators say contradicts the agreement.
In a statement, Hamas said that Netanyahu’s decision “to keep the Rafah crossing closed until further notice constitutes a blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement and a denial of commitments made to mediators and guarantors.”
The movement warned that “the continued closure of Rafah, the ban on evacuating the wounded and sick, the restriction of civilian movement, and the prevention of entry of equipment needed to search for missing persons and identify bodies will delay the recovery and transfer process.”
Israel had previously barred a Turkish rescue team from entering Gaza to assist in locating remains, despite Washington welcoming their participation given their experience after the devastating earthquakes in Turkey.
Israel’s Channel 12 reported that the U.S. administration was dissatisfied with Netanyahu’s statement about keeping Rafah closed. The network added that President Trump “will not allow a reduction in humanitarian aid entering Gaza.”
Hamas, meanwhile, accused Israel of continuing to commit violations, reporting over 47 documented breaches resulting in 38 deaths and 143 injuries.
“We call on mediators and guarantors of the agreement to act immediately to pressure the occupation to reopen the Rafah crossing, fulfill all its commitments, and halt its ongoing crimes against the Palestinian people in Gaza,” Hamas said.
Analysts widely believe that these disagreements, particularly over Rafah’s reopening, will be resolved before or during the visit of senior U.S. officials to the region in the coming days.
In a sign of diplomatic activity, Channel 12 reported that U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance postponed his first official visit to Tel Aviv from Monday to Tuesday.
At the same time, U.S. Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, presidential adviser Jared Kushner, and U.S. Central Command chief General Brad Cooper are also expected in the region.
Their meetings will focus on maintaining progress in implementing President Trump’s plan and preventing any actions that could derail it.
According to Israel’s Broadcasting Authority, the U.S. administration conveyed a message to Israel stating that “no sanctions should be imposed on Hamas at this stage over the remains crisis,” as Washington is pressuring mediators to resolve the issue diplomatically.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar announced on Friday that the Rafah crossing would reopen Sunday, before Netanyahu declared on Saturday that it would remain closed until further notice.
Israeli officials told Channel 12 that Vice President Vance’s visit “signals the Trump administration’s determination to fully implement the agreement as soon as possible.”
