Hamas Postpones Handover of Recovered Hostage Body

Hamas' armed wing, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, said it would postpone Tuesday's planned handover of a recovered Israeli hostage body, accusing Israeli violations of the U.S.-brokered ceasefire and warning that any Israeli escalation would hinder search and recovery operations. The announcement came minutes after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered immediate “powerful” strikes following reports that Hamas fired on Israeli forces and after Israel said a recent return of remains violated the truce. Reported exchanges of fire in Rafah and southern Gaza have put pressure on the fragile ceasefire that began Oct. 10 and threaten to unravel the U.S.-brokered deal. Families of hostages, including U.S. citizen Omer Neutra, continue to wait for remains, and Israel has threatened to resume operations or withhold aid if returns are not completed. Hamas says some bodies remain buried under rubble from Israeli offensives while Israel accuses militants of delaying returns.