Israel has identified the bodies of two hostages, Ronen Engel, a father of three from Kibbutz Nir Oz, and Sonthaya Oakkharasri, a Thai worker killed at Kibbutz Be’eri, after Hamas handed them over to the Red Cross on Saturday night. Both were believed killed in the Oct. 7, 2023 attack.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said the Rafah border crossing with Egypt will remain closed “until further notice”, reopening only after Hamas returns the remains of all 28 deceased hostages. So far, 13 bodies have been handed over, 12 confirmed as hostages.

The exchange of remains, aid flow into Gaza, and post-war governance are central to the ceasefire deal reached on Oct. 10, aimed at ending two years of conflict.

Rafah, Gaza’s only non-Israeli-controlled crossing before the war, has been shut since May 2024, when Israel seized its Gaza-side operations. The Palestinian Authority has announced new procedures to manage crossings for Palestinians seeking to enter or leave Gaza via Egypt.

The Gaza war has claimed over 68,000 Palestinian lives, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry, figures broadly accepted by the UN. Around 1,200 Israelis were killed and 251 abducted in the initial Hamas assault.

Both sides accused each other of violating the fragile ceasefire after reports of gunfire in Rafah. Meanwhile, Hamas confirmed talks for the “second phase” of the truce, introduced under U.S. President Donald Trump’s plan, which includes disarming Hamas and forming an internationally backed administration for Gaza.

Hamas rejected a U.S. claim of a planned attack against Palestinians, calling it “false” and accusing Israel of backing armed groups in Gaza. The group said its forces were working to restore order in areas vacated by Israeli troops.