Rafah Crossing Stays Shut as Israel, Hamas Clash Over Hostage Bodies 🚧🕊️

🔥 The Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt has been shut tight since May 2024, and Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu just confirmed it’s staying closed until Hamas hands over more bodies of deceased hostages. Major roadblock alert! 🚧

➡️ The Palestinian embassy in Egypt had announced plans to reopen Rafah this Monday to let people move in and out of Gaza. But Netanyahu says no dice until Hamas fulfills the body exchange. So, Gazans and aid convoys remain stuck, waiting for that green light.

🕊️ Hamas fired back, calling Israel’s move a “blatant violation” of the recent ceasefire. They warn that shutting Rafah is like closing all the street hawker stalls at a night market—no way for rescue teams to bring in equipment or for families to get help.

📊 Here’s the deal so far: Out of 28 hostage bodies, Israel has received 12. Under the ceasefire deal backed by U.S. President Donald Trump’s 20-point plan, Hamas released 20 living hostages in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian detainees. Now, Israel is set to return 360 bodies of Palestinian militants—15 for every Israeli body returned.

⏳ Israel says Hamas is dragging its feet on handing over the rest of the bodies. Hamas argues that locating some remains amid Gaza’s widespread destruction takes time. They’ve also accused the Israeli military of “manipulating” the list of names—saying the returned bodies don’t match the requested ones.

🤝 This showdown over bodies highlights just how fragile this ceasefire is. Any hiccup could derail the entire deal and spark fresh escalations. For young peeps across South and Southeast Asia tuning in on their phones between classes or coffee runs ☕, it’s a stark reminder: peace is still on shaky ground.

🔍 What’s next? Will Rafah reopen? Can both sides strike a faster deal on the remains? Stay tuned on your smartphone—whether you’re on the MRT in Singapore or grabbing an auto rickshaw in Delhi—to catch the latest on this fragile ceasefire. 🌏

Reference(s):

Israel keeps Rafah closed, blaming Hamas for body handover delays

cgtn.com