AhlulBayt News Agency: A convoy of Egyptian trucks and engineering vehicles carrying heavy machinery crossed into Gaza overnight to assist in the search for the remains of Israeli captives, according to AFP footage from the scene.
The vehicles were seen operating in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis early Sunday, Al-Mayadeen reported.
The Israeli military did not immediately respond to AFP’s request for confirmation regarding the convoy’s entry. However, The Times of Israel reported that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had personally authorized the arrival of the Egyptian team and several engineering vehicles to help locate the bodies of captives.
On Saturday night, Egypt’s state-linked broadcaster Al-Qahera News confirmed that the Egyptian mission was en route to Gaza. Two Egyptian military sources also told AFP that the convoy had reached the Karem Abu Salem crossing on Saturday evening, awaiting final authorization to enter the territory.
Earlier this month, on October 17, a Turkish official announced that a team of 81 rescuers sent by Ankara to aid in recovering the captives’ bodies was waiting in Egypt for permission to enter Gaza.
That clearance, however, never came. Israeli authorities reportedly objected to any Turkish involvement in the operation, effectively blocking the team’s participation.
Under the terms of the ceasefire agreement between Hamas and the Israeli occupation, the Palestinian movement had committed to returning all 48 remaining captives, both living and deceased, in exchange for the release of nearly 2,000 Palestinian detainees from Israeli prisons.
To date, only 15 of the 28 deceased captives have been handed over. The rest are believed to remain buried beneath rubble across Gaza, prompting Hamas to call for international assistance and equipment to help locate the remaining bodies.
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