The Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, have begun excavation operations in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, in search of the bodies of Israeli captives buried under the rubble.

Hamas confirmed that the recovery of the bodies may take time, as some were buried in tunnels destroyed by Israeli bombardments, while others remain trapped beneath the ruins of buildings that were bombed and demolished.

The movement explained that the bodies of Israeli captives that the resistance managed to retrieve have already been handed over, but recovering the remaining ones requires heavy equipment to remove the rubble—equipment currently unavailable due to Israel’s restrictions on their entry into Gaza.

Hamas emphasized that any delay in the recovery and transfer of the bodies is the full responsibility of the Netanyahu government, which continues to obstruct and prevent the provision of the necessary means to complete the process.