US President Donald Trump has announced the handover of the bodies of the dead Israeli hostages as the second phase of the ceasefire in Gaza. The US President made the announcement in a message on his social media account Truth Social.

"All 20 surviving hostages held in Gaza have returned. That's great, because that's what we were hoping for," Trump wrote on Truth Social on Tuesday.

"Although a major crisis has passed, the work is not yet done. Because the peace agreement promised to return the bodies of all the dead hostages — that has not happened yet. They must be returned and the second phase of the ceasefire begins now."

On October 7, 2023, Hamas fighters attacked Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages. Of these hostages, Hamas ultimately held 48 hostages. Hamas said that 20 of these 48 were alive, while the remaining 28 were dead.

The ceasefire in the Gaza Strip began on October 10 after Israel and Hamas, the armed group that controls the Gaza Strip, agreed to the new plan Trump presented in Washington on September 29. In the proposed plan, Trump stipulated that Hamas must hand over 20 live Israeli hostages and the bodies of 28 dead hostages.

On Monday, the third day of the ceasefire, Hamas released all 20 surviving Israeli hostages it was holding. In exchange, Israel released 3,700 Palestinian prisoners.

In addition to releasing 20 living hostages, Hamas also handed over the bodies of four dead hostages. Before the ceasefire, Hamas had announced that it had lost track of some of the bodies. The group's high command said that those who knew about the bodies of the hostages had been killed and that the location where the bodies were kept had been lost due to Israeli forces or attacks.

Hamas said it would take several days to find the bodies of the hostages. The group's leaders even stated that the bodies of hostages 7 to 9 would never be found.

Meanwhile, Israel is furious with Hamas for returning only four bodies of hostages instead of the 28. A statement issued by the cabinet led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the Israeli government has finalized its decision to close border crossings and limit the entry of aid into Gaza if Hamas does not return the bodies of the hostages.