Four Hostage Bodies Returned by Hamas as Trump Issues Disarm Ultimatum

Hamas handed over four additional bodies of Israeli hostages on Tuesday evening, as Israel warned it would reduce humanitarian aid into Gaza over delays in returning the remains. The Israeli military said in a statement: “According to information provided by the Red Cross, four coffins of deceased hostages have been transferred into their custody and are on their way to IDF [Israel Defense Forces] and ISA [Israel Security Agency] forces in the Gaza Strip.” The development comes as US President Donald Trump warned that Hamas must disarm or “we will disarm them,” after declaring that phase two of his ceasefire plan for Gaza “begins right now.” “They said they were going to disarm, and if they don’t disarm, we will disarm them,” Trump told reporters. Asked how he would carry this out, he said: “I don’t have [to] explain that to you, but if they don’t disarm, we will disarm them. They know I’m not playing games.” He added the process could happen “quickly and perhaps violently.”Also Read: Why Israel Says Hamas Has Already Broken the Ceasefire and What It Means for Gaza Trump also emphasised the status of the hostages on his social media platform Truth Social, writing that all 20 living hostages had been returned, but the deceased “have not been returned, as promised.” “ALL TWENTY HOSTAGES ARE BACK AND FEELING AS GOOD AS CAN BE EXPECTED. A big burden has been lifted, but the job IS NOT DONE. THE DEAD HAVE NOT BEEN RETURNED, AS PROMISED! Phase Two begins right NOW!!!” he posted. A central aspect of phase two of Trump’s plan is a surge of humanitarian aid into Gaza, where millions of Palestinians face severe shortages of food and medicine. However, Israel has reportedly informed the United Nations it will only allow 300 aid trucks – half the number agreed under the ceasefire – into Gaza on Wednesday and said the Rafah crossing will remain closed. Israel claimed Hamas had “violated” the ceasefire agreement by delaying the return of the bodies of the remaining 24 deceased hostages.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3CXFoV4licHamas has told mediators that the four bodies transferred on Tuesday will arrive in Israel at 10pm local time. The group has previously indicated that recovering all the bodies could take longer, as some burial sites remain unknown amid the rubble in Gaza. US Vice-President JD Vance acknowledged the challenges on Sunday, saying that some bodies may never be recovered. Speaking on Fox News, he said: “The reality is that some of the hostages may never get back, but I do think, with some effort, we’ll be able to give them to their families so they at least have some closure.” He added: “We do want to give these people the ability to have a proper burial with their loved ones who were murdered by brutal terrorists, and that matters to us. It matters to the families, and it will remain a focus, but it’s going to take some time.” The situation highlights the fragility of the ceasefire, with both humanitarian and security considerations shaping the next steps in the conflict resolution process.