Hamas official says Heavy machinery needed to recover bodies of hostages

A senior political official with Hamas Osama Hamdan said on Friday, the Islamic group is keen to implement a US-brokered ceasefire in Gaza. But lacks the equipment to recover the bodies of deceased hostages as part of the deal. He also said retrieving them will require heavy machinery, which cannot be obtained due to an Israeli blockade.

The next phase of the peace plan includes thorny issues such as the disarmament of Hamas. Hamdan stressed the group will not lay down weapons until Israel's occupation ends. The plan also envisages a temporary transitional committee of Palestinian technocrats to govern Gaza. Hamdan said a committee could be formed within days, and that 15 people from Gaza would be involved in fields such as health and education.