Families of Israeli prisoners demand the halt of the second phase of the Gaza agreement.

The families of Israeli prisoners demanded on Thursday that their government halt the implementation of the next phases of the exchange agreement and ceasefire in Gaza, until the remaining bodies of the deceased held by Hamas are recovered.

Since Monday, Hamas has released twenty living Israeli prisoners and handed over the bodies of ten, claiming it needs special equipment to search for and extract the remaining eighteen bodies.

In return, Israel released 250 Palestinian prisoners serving life sentences, along with 1,718 others who were arrested from the Gaza Strip after October 8, 2023, while more than 10,000 Palestinians remain in its prisons.

The families of the prisoners stated in a statement that they demand the Israeli government "immediately stop implementing the next phases of the agreement as long as Hamas continues not to return all the bodies," according to their claims.

The Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, confirmed on Wednesday that it is "making great efforts to close this file," explaining that it needs special equipment and techniques to search under the rubble and recover the remaining bodies of the Israeli prisoners.

The families added that "Hamas is still holding 19 captives," claiming that the movement "is violating the agreement."

They continued: "Therefore, there is no room for any unilateral progress by Israel, and any political or security step that does not guarantee their immediate return is considered a abandonment of Israeli citizens."

They emphasized that "the responsibility for recovering all the captives, alive or dead, primarily lies with the Israeli government."

They considered that "any step that alleviates pressure on Hamas or allows the continuation of the agreement without the return of the captives constitutes a serious moral and leadership failure."

The families of the Israeli prisoners believe that "there will be no victory until they all return here, until the last captive."

On Wednesday, Israeli officials stated that negotiations for the implementation of the second phase of the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas have not yet begun, despite statements from U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday confirming that they had started.

Israeli officials, who were not named, told "Israel 24": "Contrary to reports, the negotiations for the second phase have not yet begun, and will only start after the completion of the first phase with the return of all the hostages' bodies."

The agreement between Hamas and Israel is based on a plan proposed by the U.S. president, whose country has supported the Israeli genocide against the Gaza Strip since October 8, 2023.

During the genocide, Israel killed 67,938 Palestinians and injured 170,169 others, most of whom were children and women, causing a famine that claimed the lives of 463 Palestinians, including 157 children.