Key points: Hamas transferred another Israeli captive’s remains to Israel via the ICRC, leaving six remains still in Gaza. Recovery efforts have been hindered by destruction and limits on heavy machinery. Aid deliveries have increased since the October ceasefire but average only 145 trucks per day — 24% of the agreed 600 — and 23 shelter requests were rejected. UN and relief agencies warn that immediate, unobstructed access and more crossings are essential before winter to prevent worsening hunger and exposure.
Hamas Returns Another Israeli Captive’s Remains — Gaza Faces Critical Winter Aid Shortfall
Key points: Hamas transferred another Israeli captive’s remains to Israel via the ICRC, leaving six remains still in Gaza. Recovery efforts have been hindered by destruction and limits on heavy machinery. Aid deliveries have increased since the October ceasefire but average only 145 trucks per day — 24% of the agreed 600 — and 23 shelter requests were rejected. UN and relief agencies warn that immediate, unobstructed access and more crossings are essential before winter to prevent worsening hunger and exposure.
04:37, 06.11.2025Conflict
Hamas hands over another body as Gaza struggles to prepare for winter
Hamas on Wednesday transferred the remains of another Israeli captive to Israel via the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). Israel’s prime minister’s office confirmed the handover; six captives’ remains are reported to still be in Gaza.
Recovery efforts hampered
Hamas and independent reporters say recovering bodies has been complicated by widespread destruction across Gaza and limits on bringing in heavy machinery and bulldozers needed for searches. Al Jazeera correspondent Nour Odeh reported that the body returned on Wednesday was recovered after four days of digging through rubble in the Shujayea neighborhood in eastern Gaza City, an area she said has been under Israeli military control for months. An Egyptian expert team reportedly participated in the recovery.
Ceasefire disputes and humanitarian access
The return of remains remains a major sticking point in the U.S.-brokered ceasefire. Israeli officials have accused Hamas of violating the agreement by not handing over all bodies; Israeli sources say they will not meet certain phase-one commitments — including easing restrictions that would allow unfettered humanitarian access — until all remains are returned.
“We need full access. We need everything to be moving fast,” said Abeer Etefa, a senior spokesperson for the U.N. World Food Programme. “We are in a race against time. The winter months are coming. People are still suffering from hunger, and the needs are overwhelming.”
Violence continues
Separately, the Israeli military said it killed two Palestinians in central Gaza after they crossed the ceasefire’s designated yellow line near Israeli positions. Gaza health authorities also reported that Israeli fire killed a Palestinian who was collecting firewood in central Gaza.
Aid shortfalls ahead of winter
United Nations and aid agencies warn that, although aid deliveries have increased since the ceasefire began in October, the volume of assistance is far below what is needed. Gaza authorities say Israel permitted an average of 145 aid trucks per day between the start of the ceasefire and the end of October — only 24% of the 600 trucks the agreement calls for. The Norwegian Refugee Council reported that Israeli authorities rejected 23 requests from aid agencies to bring shelter materials, including tents and blankets, into Gaza.
Angelita Caredda, NRC’s Middle East and North Africa regional director, warned: “We have a very short chance to protect families from the winter rains and cold. More than three weeks into the ceasefire, Gaza should be receiving a surge of shelter materials, but only a fraction of what is needed has entered.”
Human toll
Thousands of Palestinians remain displaced after months of bombardment and rely on community soup kitchens for basic sustenance. Abdel Majid al-Zaity, a 55-year-old father of nine from the Shati refugee camp, told Al Jazeera in Khan Younis: “Without the soup kitchens here, we couldn't have eaten. These soup kitchens keep us alive.” Another displaced mother, Hind Hijazy, said she visits a soup kitchen daily to feed her six children and described the truce as a “sham” because the siege and access restrictions remain in place.
The situation presents an urgent humanitarian challenge: recovery operations for remains, political disagreements over ceasefire terms, and insufficient aid deliveries must be addressed quickly if Gaza is to withstand the coming winter.