Israel on Wednesday told the Trump administration that Hamas isn't doing enough to recover the bodies of dead Israeli hostages, and the Gaza deal can't move into the next phase until that changes, two Israeli officials and one U.S. official tell Axios.
Why it matters: The agreement stipulates that Hamas must make a "maximum effort" to return the bodies of the 28 dead hostages, among them two American citizens. Israel claims Hamas is not abiding by those terms.
Driving the news: An immediate crisis was averted over the last 24 hours when Hamas returned the bodies of three hostages on Tuesday and another two on Wednesday, bringing the total to nine out of 28.
- After Hamas returned those bodies, Israel backed off threats to halve the number of aid trucks allowed into Gaza and keep the border crossing between Egypt and Gaza closed.
- But Hamas now says it doesn't have any additional remains to return, and recovering more will require "efforts and special equipment."
- Israeli officials acknowledge that a small number of the bodies will be hard to locate, but claim between 15 and 20 could be quickly returned.
Friction point: The U.S. wants to begin negotiations on the next phase of the deal, tackling sensitive issues like who will govern Gaza and provide security. But Israeli officials warn it will be very difficult to move to the next phase without progress on the hostage remains.
Behind the scenes: On Wednesday, Israeli minister for strategic affairs Ron Dermer spoke to President Trump's envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner and accused Hamas of "slow-walking" the returns, the Israeli and U.S. officials said.
- Two Israeli officials said Israel gave the U.S. new intelligence that shows Hamas has access to more of the bodies than it claims.
- "We don't see Hamas making maximum effort regarding the bodies. We know they can do more and we don't think anybody should give them any discounts," a senior Israeli official said.
Between the lines: Both Israeli and U.S. officials close to the process are concerned that elements within the Netanyahu government — particularly ultranationalist ministers Betzalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben Gvir — will use the issue of hostage remains to undermine the deal (which they oppose) and push for the resumption of the war.
- "Hamas will give all the bodies back, but it is going to take time. We will continue working on it but we can't allow the deal to collapse," a U.S. official told Axios.
The big picture: Israel told the Trump administration that it's committed to moving towards phase two of the deal — which calls on Hamas to disarm and give up power and Israel to expand its withdrawal from Gaza, Israeli officials say.
- But the officials also stress the transition to phase two will be swifter if the bodies are returned quickly.
What to watch: Negotiating the second phase of the deal is expected to be extremely difficult, especially when it comes to the demilitarization of Gaza.
- President Trump said that if Hamas refuses to disarm, it could be done by force and could even lead to the resumption of the war.
