The fragile ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war was tested on Tuesday as the slower-than-hoped return of dead hostages from Gaza prompted an Israeli military agency to declare a “violation” of the truce agreement that it would respond to by halving the number of aid trucks allowed into the devastated territory.
The United Nations’ humanitarian office in Gaza received word of the cuts from the Israeli military agency in charge of transferring aid to the territory, according to spokesperson Olga Cherevko.
US officials and international aid groups were also notified, according to three Associated Press sources who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the matter.
The Israeli government did not immediately comment.
Ms Cherevko said the UN continues to encourage all sides “to adhere to the agreements that have been set out in the ceasefire parameters”.
“We certainly very much hope that the bodies of the hostages are handed over and that the ceasefire continues to be implemented,” Ms Cherevko said during a virtual news briefing.
US President Donald Trump expressed concern in a social media post that too few of the dead hostages have been returned to Israel. He made no mention in his post of Israel halving the flow of aid into the territory.
The ceasefire plan introduced by Mr Trump called for “all hostages, alive and deceased” to be returned within 72 hours of the agreement’s acceptance.
But it also provided a mechanism if that did not happen, saying Hamas should share information about any remaining dead hostages and “exert maximum effort to ensure the fulfilment of these commitments as soon as possible”.
The agreement also said Israel would provide information on the remains of Palestinians who died in Israeli custody.
Hamas and the International Committee of the Red Cross have said that, because of the widespread destruction in Gaza, recovering the hostages’ bodies is a big challenge.
Palestinians in Gaza appealed for authorities to move quickly to restore some semblance of normality.
Mohamad Abu Hajras, a displaced Palestinian from Khan Younis, said he is hopeful the ceasefire agreement will swiftly lead to Gaza’s reconstruction.
“There is no infrastructure, electricity, water, or anything that is fit for life,” Mr Hajras said.
On Tuesday, the UN development agency said the latest joint estimate from the UN, the European Union and the World Bank is that 70 billion dollars (£53 billion) will be required to rebuild Gaza.
The war, sparked by Hamas’s October 7 2023 attack on southern Israel, has killed more than 67,600 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, part of the Hamas-run government, which does not say how many were civilians or combatants.
It says women and children make up around half the dead, and many independent experts say its figures are the most reliable estimate of wartime casualties.
