Egyptian convoy enters Gaza to help recover hostage remains
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Palestinians at a charity kitchen in the Nuseirat refugee camp, in the central Gaza Strip, on Oct 21.
PHOTO: AFP
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Khan Yunis, Palestinian Territories - A convoy of Egyptian trucks and vehicles transporting heavy machinery entered Gaza overnight to help locate the remains of Israeli hostages in the territory, AFP footage showed.
The vehicles were filmed in Khan Younis in the south of Gaza.
The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request on Oct 26 for confirmation that the vehicles had entered.
But The Times of Israel had reported that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu personally approved the entry of the Egyptian team and several engineering vehicles into the Palestinian territory to locate the missing remains.
On the night of Oct 25, Egyptian state-linked Al-Qahera News channel reported that the team was on its way to Gaza.
Two Egyptian military sources had also confirmed to AFP that the convoy was at the Kerem Shalom crossing on Oct 25, awaiting authorisation to cross into the Palestinian territory.
On Oct 17, a Turkish official announced that a team of 81 rescuers sent by Ankara to locate the hostages’ bodies in Gaza was waiting in Egypt to enter the strip.
But the Turkish team never received approval from Israel, amid reports that Israel objected to any Turkish involvement in Gaza.
Based on the ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel
But only 15 of the 28 dead hostages have been returned so far, with the remaining bodies buried under rubble across the devastated territory and Hamas calling for tools and assistance to locate them. AFP
