The Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth revealed on Tuesday that Israel is considering imposing sanctions on Hamas, including not opening the Rafah crossing.
The Israeli newspaper explained that Israel is considering imposing sanctions to compel Hamas to fulfill its obligations regarding the return of the remains of the 24 Israeli prisoners remaining in Gaza.
She noted that Hamas claimed to know the location of approximately half of the dead prisoners, and that it estimated it would return between one and 15 of them. However, in reality, only four prisoners have been released. Israeli Defense Minister Yisrael Katz said on Monday that Hamas's announcement that it would hand over the remains of four hostages today constitutes a breach of its commitments.
She stated that among the sanctions Israel will impose on Hamas if the remaining prisoners are not returned are delays in Gaza's reconstruction, the entry of caravans and heavy equipment, and that it is even discussing the possibility of not opening the Rafah crossing and preventing all aid deliveries.
In the same vein, a security source told Yedioth Ahronoth that following Hamas's violation of the agreement, which resulted in the return of only four prisoners yesterday, the recommendation to the political leadership will be to halt the entry of aid into Gaza and to keep the Rafah crossing open.
Israel received the first and second batches of living prisoners, totaling 20.