ISRAELI forces are continuing deadly attacks in violation of the Gaza ceasefire, despite recovering the remains of the last hostage this week. 

The body of Ran Gvili, a 24-year-old police officer killed while fighting Hamas attackers during the October 7 2023 cross-border raid, was returned to Israel on Tuesday, completing the repatriation of all Israeli nationals under the ceasefire terms. 

But Amjad Shawa, director of the Palestinian NGOs Network in Gaza, said that many Palestinian families were still suffering because they had not recovered the remains of their loved ones.

There are an estimated 10,000 bodies still buried under the rubble in Gaza, where rescuers lack adequate equipment and access to dig them out, he said.

“Almost every day, we are collecting bones from different areas … and we cannot identify them while their mothers are waiting,” Mr Shawa told Al Jazeera.

“It’s a very critical moment that we are passing through.

“Times are painful … until we manage to get these bodies back and bury them.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday that Israel would reopen the Rafah border crossing with Egypt in both directions, allowing Palestinians to enter and leave Gaza after nearly two years of closure. 

He did not give a timeline and said the crossing would be limited to foot traffic, with Israel overseeing security checks.

In the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis, residents questioned why Rafah remained closed despite the return of the last captive’s remains. 

An estimated one million Palestinians were forced out of Rafah, which remains an Israeli military zone despite the truce.

“We have many sick people here,” said former Rafah resident Ali Abu Al-Eish. 

Gaza’s Health Ministry says about 20,000 Palestinians require medical evacuation.

According to comments by retired Israeli General Amir Avivi, who still advises the military, land in Rafah had been cleared to construct a large facility aimed at cementing Israel’s long-term military presence.

Mr Netanyahu said Israel’s priority was disarming Hamas and destroying the group’s remaining tunnels, insisting there would be no reconstruction without demilitarisation. 

“As I agreed with President [Donald] Trump, there are only two possibilities: either it will be done the easy way or the hard way,” he said. 

The prime minister reiterated his opposition to a Palestinian state and said Israel would retain permanent security control from the Jordan river to the Mediterranean sea.

Meanwhile, Israeli artillery and air strikes continued across Gaza, killing at least four Palestinians today. 

In the occupied West Bank, Israeli forces carried out raids and arrests across Hebron, Qalqilya, Bethlehem and Nablus and demolished homes in al-Khader near Bethlehem.

Settler attacks also continued. Municipal workers were assaulted south of Nablus, while a Palestinian home in Sa’ir near Hebron was stoned, the third such attack in the town in a week, according to the Wafa news agency.