Aid trucks roll into Gaza as dispute over hostage bodies is paused

Aid trucks rolled into Gaza on Wednesday, and Israel resumed preparations to open the main Rafah crossing after a dispute over the return of the bodies of dead hostages that had threatened to derail the fragile ceasefire deal with Hamas.

Israel had threatened to keep Rafah shut and reduce aid supplies because Hamas was returning bodies too slowly, risking the truce that stopped two years of devastating warfare in Gaza and freed all living hostages held by Hamas.

However, the militant group returned more Israeli bodies overnight, and an Israeli security official said on Wednesday that preparations were underway to open Rafah to Gaza citizens. Meanwhile, a second official said that 600 aid trucks would go in.

Hamas returned four bodies confirmed as dead hostages on Monday and another four bodies late on Tuesday, though the Israeli authorities said one of those bodies was not that of a hostage.

The dispute over the return of bodies still has the potential to upset the ceasefire deal, along with other major issues that are yet to be resolved.

Later phases of the truce call for Hamas to disarm and cede power, which it has so far refused to do. It has launched a security crackdown.

Longer-term elements of the ceasefire plan, including how Gaza will be governed, the make-up of an international force to take over there, and moves toward the creation of a Palestinian state, have yet to emerge.

Twenty-one bodies of hostages remain in Gaza, though some may be very hard to find or recover because of the destruction during the conflict. An international task force is meant to find them.

The deal also requires Israel to return the bodies of 360 Palestinian militants killed in battle. The first group of 45 was handed over on Tuesday and was being identified, said Palestinian health authorities.

(With input from agencies)