'Hamas knows': Kin of missing Israeli hostages seek pause in Gaza truce plan; demand bodies of remaining deceased captives

The families of Israeli hostages on Monday demanded that the next steps in the US-brokered Gaza ceasefire be put on hold until Hamas returns the remaining bodies of dead captives. "Hamas knows where every one of the deceased hostages is held. Two weeks have passed since the deadline set in the agreement for the return of all 48 hostages, yet 13 remain in Hamas captivity," the hostages and missing families forum said.

"The families urge the Israeli govt and the US administration and the mediators not to advance to the next phase of the agreement until Hamas fulfils all of its obligations and returns every hostage to Israel."


In a separate development, US secretary of state Marco Rubio Monday said the airstrike launched by Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip on Saturday didn't violate terms of the US-brokered ceasefire. "Israel didn't surrender its right to self defence," Rubio told reporters. Israel said its strike targeted a member of the Islamic Jihad who was planning an attack against Israel. Hamas dismissed the assertion as a "fallacious allegation".

Won't let Turkish troops oversee truce: Israel min
Israel will not allow Turkish troops to take part in an international force the US has proposed to oversee the ceasefire agreement in the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, Israel's foreign minister Gideon Saar said Monday. Saar said Israel opposes Turkish troops because of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's hostility to Israel.