Hamas to hand over bodies of 2 captives on Saturday as Israel delays Rafah crossing opening

CAIRO – 18 October 2025: Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, announced on Saturday that it will hand over the bodies of two Israeli captives at 10 p.m. Gaza time, as part of the ongoing prisoner exchange deal.

The group said the bodies were recovered earlier in the day.

If Israeli forensic tests confirm the identities of the two bodies as those of captives, the number of Israelis whose remains have been handed over by Hamas since the Gaza ceasefire took effect on October 10 will rise to 12.

Moreover, Hamas has fulfilled its part of the ceasefire agreement regarding the handover of all 20 living captives it had held since October 2023, within 72 days of the Israeli forces’ withdrawal to the agreed areas inside the enclave.

The group has transferred the bodies in batches, saying it needs heavy machinery and excavation equipment to speed up the recovery of remains buried under the rubble.

Meanwhile, Israel has criticized Hamas for what it described as delays in the handover process.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office insists that Hamas knows the whereabouts of the dead captives and warned in statements to Reuters that the group is “running out of time.”

Subsequently, Netanyahu’s office said the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and Gaza, which had long served as a key gate for the movement of Palestinians and the aid, will remain closed until further notice.

The office stated that the crossing’s reopening “will be under consideration in accordance with the manner in which Hamas implements its part in return of the deceased hostages and implementation of the agreed upon framework.”

The announcement came shortly after the Palestinian Embassy in Egypt declared the crossing would reopen for Gazan returnees on Monday.