Egyptian Teams Enter Gaza To Recover Hostage Remains

An Egyptian army search-and-rescue and engineering team with heavy machinery entered the Gaza Strip late Saturday, with Israeli approval, to help locate and recover the remains of deceased Israeli hostages and to defuse unexploded ordnance in areas not controlled by the Israeli military. Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, say the mission is being coordinated with Israel and the United States; details on the team's size and exact equipment were not disclosed. The deployment comes amid a U.S.-brokered ceasefire that began Oct. 10 under which Hamas has released 20 living hostages and returned 15 of 28 deceased hostages so far. Israeli officials say roughly 13 dead hostages remain in Gaza and have accused Hamas of stalling to extend the ceasefire, while Hamas cites ongoing strikes and restrictions on heavy machinery as obstacles. Footage circulated on Arab media showed the teams and heavy machinery entering from Egypt.