Israel has announced it will slash agreed aid shipments in half and keep the Rafah crossing close

In blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement, Israel has announced it will slash agreed aid shipments in half and keep the Rafah crossing closed, after Hamas returned four of the 28 bodies of Israeli captives believed to be in Gaza.

Hamas officials had repeatedly told mediators — and said in interviews with Drop Site since early October — that it would be “impossible” to locate and transfer all Israeli bodies within 72 hours of a ceasefire, given the scale of destruction. The ceasefire’s humanitarian protocol explicitly established a joint operations room — including Egypt, Qatar, Turkey, the U.S., Israel, and Hamas — to manage such complications, with Hamas required to submit all information it holds on living and deceased captives.

PIJ deputy leader Mohammed al-Hindi, in an interview on October 1 with Al Araby, said: “They demand the handover of [Israeli] prisoners in 72 hours. But even if they were all together in one house, or even buried in one grave, it would be impossible to hand them over in 72 hours. The situation is complicated, and everyone — Israel, America, and the mediators — knows it is complicated.”

According to Reuters who cited three Israeli officials, the Rafah crossing will remain closed through Wednesday, and aid deliveries will be sharply reduced. And Israeli outlets are claiming Hamas violated the deal, with Channel 12 citing an official alleging Hamas is “in severe breach” by not releasing more bodies. Egypt has reportedly deployed teams in Gaza to help locate them.

In a formal COGAT communication, Israel tied humanitarian aid directly to the return of bodies — a move amounting to collective punishment of a famine-stricken population:

“Yesterday, Hamas violated the agreement… As a result, political leadership has decided to impose a number of sanctions related to the humanitarian agreement. Starting tomorrow, only half of the agreed number of trucks — 300 — will be allowed to enter, all belonging to the UN and humanitarian NGOs. No fuel or gas will be allowed into the Strip, except for limited humanitarian needs.”

Senior Hamas leader Mousa Abu Marzouk told Drop Site’s Jeremy Scahill last week that a prisoner exchange “would be impossible” while Israeli forces remain in Gaza’s population centers:

“We don’t know exactly where the prisoners are. Even the negotiators don’t know their locations. There cannot be an exchange if Israeli forces remain.”

Marzouk warned that Israel’s refusal to withdraw proves it “does not want Trump’s ceasefire plan to be implemented.”

As early as October 3, when Hamas first delivered its response to Trump’s plan, Marzouk said on television that locating remains “would take months” after Israel destroyed and blocked off delivery of desperately needed heavy machinery. It would be “impossible” in 72 hours.