Hamas hands over body of hostage as IDF fights terror cells in Rafah

On November 25, Hamas released the body of Dror Or, an Israeli who was killed during the attack on Israel led by the group on October 7, 2023. Or was one of three deceased hostages still held in Gaza, despite Hamas’s responsibility to immediately turn over all captives upon agreeing to the ceasefire with Israel on October 13. The transfer of Or’s body took place as the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) continued to confront Hamas terror cells in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, and ceasefire violations continued to raise questions about the future of the deal.

On November 26, Israeli authorities confirmed that the body turned over late on Tuesday belonged to Or. “Or, 48, was murdered by Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorists on October 7, 2023, and his body was taken captive from Kibbutz Be’eri,” The Times of Israel noted. His wife was also killed in the attack, and their two children were kidnapped and returned in the first ceasefire deal on November 25, 2023. Hamas is obligated under the ceasefire deal to turn over all the hostages, even those killed and held by other groups, such as Palestinian Islamic Jihad, that also participated in the October 7 attack.

The hostage transfer occurred amid continued tensions over the ceasefire. For instance, on November 26, the IDF said that Israeli troops identified “6 terrorists, who most likely emerged from an underground terror infrastructure in Rafah—posing a threat to IDF troops.” The Israeli military conducted an airstrike as the individuals attempted to flee. “Troops from the IDF’s Nahal Brigade” then searched the building, “where they identified one terrorist who had been killed in the strike, along with three additional armed terrorists who the forces subsequently engaged and killed,” The Jerusalem Post reported.

Rafah is one of the areas in Gaza that the IDF still controls as part of the ceasefire deal, along with around half of the territory delineated by what is called “the Yellow Line.” This division of the territory is expected to continue until the ceasefire progresses into subsequent phases.

In Rafah, a number of Hamas suspects were killed in November, and the IDF estimates it has eliminated more than 20 terrorists there in the past week. The numerous incidents in Rafah appear to be linked to reports in early November that up to 200 Hamas fighters were hiding in several tunnels under the city. These individuals are the remnants of the Hamas Rafah Brigade, which the IDF has confronted several times over the two-year war.

Another challenge for the IDF in Gaza is dealing with threats along the Yellow Line. Suspected terrorists continue to cross the dividing line and threaten Israeli forces almost daily. For example, late in the day on November 26, the IDF said it had struck a terrorist who was about to carry out a sniper attack against Israeli troops.

The clashes on November 26 followed a significant rise in tensions on November 23, when the IDF carried out airstrikes in response to ceasefire violations. Reports indicate that Hamas was prepared to totally call off the ceasefire, although this did not happen.

As daily tensions over the ceasefire continue, Israeli media outlets have reported that Israel is ready to return to fighting Hamas to disarm the terrorist group. In addition, several non-Hamas militias have continued to emerge in Gaza, reportedly operating in areas controlled by the IDF.

On the humanitarian front, the US-backed Civil-Military Coordination Center (CMCC) in southern Israel’s Kiryat Gat is involved in streamlining aid transfers. This effort has led the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), which began operations in the territory in May, to end its work. The GHF said it had delivered 187 million meals to Gaza over the past five months. The organization’s operations appeared to have wound down since the ceasefire, as it stopped daily reports on aid distributions.

Reporting from Israel, Seth J. Frantzman is an adjunct fellow at FDD and a contributor to FDD’s Long War Journal. He is the senior Middle East correspondent and analyst at The Jerusalem Post, and author of The October 7 War: Israel’s Battle for Security in Gaza (2024).