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Israel is refusing to allow a Turkish delegation of 81 rescue personnel and heavy equipment to enter the Gaza Strip until Hamas returns all the remains of deceased hostages that it can, an Israeli official told the Israeli media outlet The Jerusalem Post on Thursday.
However, Türkiye has sent 81 disaster relief experts to the Gaza Strip, with one team dedicated to helping find the remains of 19 hostages still unaccounted for, according to a Turkish Defense Ministry source speaking to AFP.
"There is already a team of 81 AFAD staff there," the source said, referring to Türkiye's Disaster and Emergency Management Authority, or AFAD. The source indicated that "one team will be in charge of seeking and finding the bodies."
"The tasks are known: transmitting humanitarian aid, finding corpses and protecting the ceasefire. But there is no clear information on how to handle these tasks," the ministry source speaking to AFP added.
The deployment has received Israeli approval despite long-running tensions between President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to three people briefed on the situation who spoke to the Financial Times (FT).
Türkiye is part of a multinational task force that also includes the United States, Israel, Egypt, Qatar and the International Committee of the Red Cross, aiming to locate the remaining 19 deceased Israeli and foreign hostages.
The multinational task force is reportedly headed by Israeli Brigadier Gal Hirsh, who is expected to facilitate the entry into Gaza of experts and, if necessary, specialised heavy equipment.
"There is a group of hostages' bodies that Hamas can return right now and another group they know the location of, but they need equipment and assistance to retrieve them," an Israeli source said speaking to Israeli media outlet said, adding, "And there are some bodies they genuinely do not know where they are."
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said Thursday: "We know for certain that Hamas can easily release a significant number of hostages in accordance with the agreement. What they are doing now is a fundamental violation of that agreement."
Mediators involved in recovery efforts speaking to the Jerusalem Post stated that heavy equipment and experienced rescue teams would be essential to recover the remains. "Some bodies are buried deep underground," a source involved in the mediation efforts said.
"Others are near unexploded bombs. Hamas cannot retrieve those remains from such places. We agree with Israel that Hamas knows where some of the buried hostages are, but it simply cannot reach them without assistance," the source speaking to Israeli media outlet added.
Türkiye's Disaster and Emergency Management Authority is sending more than 80 specialists with experience in earthquake response. The team will also help with debris removal and the establishment of temporary shelters for the enclave's 2 million people, according to local media reports.
An Israeli official speaking to FT confirmed Türkiye's involvement, saying: "Contacts are taking place and co-ordination is being carried out between Israel and the mediators and the Red Cross."
The team is set to travel to Egypt and, pending final orders from the Turkish government, then on to Gaza. Asked whether Turkish military forces could get involved, the Turkish Defense Ministry source speaking to AFP said it would be "more the task of civilian entities like AFAD" but in theory the military could help out if needed.
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