GAZA/JERUSALEM/ UNITED NATIONS - A Hamas source said on Monday that the body of an Israeli hostage has been recovered from the central Gaza Strip.

The source, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Xinhua that the remains were found during search operations conducted over the past two days north of the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza.

According to the source, the operations involved members of the al-Quds Brigades, the military wing of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement, along with teams from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

The source said that the body is being held by the al-Quds Brigades and is scheduled to be handed over to the ICRC, which will then transfer it to the Israeli army later in the day, although no specific time was given.

If the body is handed over, only two bodies of Israeli hostages remain in the coastal enclave, according to Palestinian and Israeli tallies. Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem said that the search for the remaining Israeli hostages continues despite difficulties and complexities.

Qassem urged mediators to pressure Israel to comply with the ceasefire agreement, including reopening the Rafah crossing, and moving to the second phase of the agreement. He added that Hamas's delegation is currently in Cairo engaging with ceasefire mediators, demonstrating its seriousness in advancing the next phase.

Qassem also warned that Israeli violations could undermine the ceasefire agreement, a concern Hamas has made clear to mediators during the Cairo talks.  

Sources: Four Palestinians killed

Four Palestinians were killed on Monday in Israeli attacks across the Gaza Strip, Palestinian medical sources said.

Two Palestinians were killed by Israeli artillery fire near the so-called "yellow line," which designates areas under Israeli control, in the al-Shaaf neighborhood, east of Gaza City, according to the sources.

They added that another Palestinian was killed and two others injured in an Israeli drone strike east of Khan Younis in the south, while a fourth person was killed in an airstrike in the town of Bani Suheila, also east of Khan Younis.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement that it struck three "terrorists" after identifying them crossing the "yellow line" and approaching Israeli troops in the Khan Younis area, claiming they posed an "immediate threat."

In the meantime, Palestinian security sources said the Israeli army continued artillery shelling and the detonation of car bombs in the Tuffah neighborhood of Gaza City, and carried out airstrikes in Rafah in the south.

Although intensive airstrikes have largely ceased since a ceasefire took effect on Oct 10, casualties continue to be reported due to periodic violence. On Saturday, Israel conducted a series of airstrikes on the Gaza Strip, resulting in at least 22 deaths and dozens of injuries, according to Gaza-based health authorities. The Israeli military said the strike was in response to an earlier incident, when an "armed terrorist" reportedly fired at soldiers after crossing the "yellow line." 

Aid deliveries

Despite violence triggering more casualties and destruction in Gaza, relief efforts targeting the most vulnerable communities are under way, UN humanitarians said Monday.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warned that the reported hostilities in various parts of the Gaza Strip are causing destruction, displacement and casualties among civilians, including children.

"On Saturday, multiple Israeli strikes were reported in Gaza City, Deir al-Balah and An Nuseirat," OCHA said. "The strikes came after Israeli ground forces reportedly came under fire in Rafah."

Partners managing displacement sites reported that living conditions are extremely dire. The estimated 214,000 people living in coastal, flood-prone or structurally unsafe areas are among the most vulnerable.

OCHA said the humanitarian community across the strip is working together to get aid to people safely, quickly and with dignity.

Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, said the suspension of operations by the U.S.- and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) has no impact on the world body's operations because the United Nations never worked with them.

Hundreds of civilians were killed or wounded while attempting to reach the GHF's militarized distribution centers, adjacent to Israeli forces' sites and under armed guard.

The GHF said in a statement that it will not be dissolved and may come back if new humanitarian needs are identified.

OCHA said that as part of its winter preparations, between Thursday and Saturday, partners reached 7,100 families with shelter assistance, including 900 tents, 5,100 tarps and 2,300 blankets.

However, OCHA could only bring 32 trucks with shelter supplies into Gaza between Sunday and Wednesday last week, as Israeli registration requirements for nongovernmental organizations continue to hamper partners' ability to bring in assistance, it said.

The office said that its partners leading the malnutrition response in Gaza reported that they continue to focus on early detection and treatment of acute needs cases.

OCHA said that last week, the UN Children's Fund dispatched 4,000 cartons of ready-to-use therapeutic food, enough to treat the current caseload of 10,000 patients for one month. Total treatment stocks are sufficient to last through March 2026.

Partners leading the health response reported that they managed to access the non-functioning European Hospital in Rafah for the first time since October, to transfer vital equipment to functioning facilities in northern Gaza.

The office said that to help people cope and supplement basic assistance, partners providing cash support reported that since the ceasefire and as of Wednesday, 93,000 families have received cash distributions, with support from more than a dozen partners.

OCHA said UN partners working on emergency telecommunications reported that on Saturday, a team of technicians managed to access the area in northern Gaza near Erez crossing, after Israeli authorities denied previous access attempts, to repair a fiber optic cable that was damaged in early November.

OCHA also called for unimpeded, safe and sustained access throughout Gaza, to reach civilians in need wherever they are, stressing that civilians and civilian infrastructure must always be protected.