Israel said Thursday it would increase pressure on Hamas to return the remains of 19 remaining hostages. A task force has reportedly entered Gaza for this purpose.

Hamas said that the bodies returned so far are all it can find so far. A senior official told Israel's Channel 12 that "the number of hostages it can return can reach double digits."

Meanwhile, Israel Channel 13 that, according to Israeli intelligence, an international working group in charge of finding the remains had entered the Gaza Strip within 24 hours and would soon take action.

Since accepting the first phase of the U.S. peace plan for Gaza, Hamas has returned the remains of nine hostages killed. On Monday, the group released the last 20 surviving hostages it held in the Gaza Strip.

On October 9, a ceasefire agreement brokered by the United States was signed in Egypt, requiring Hamas to release "all Israeli hostages, both the living and the dead" within 72 hours after the partial withdrawal of Israeli troops. The deadline expired at noon on Monday. At the same time, the agreement acknowledges that the remains of some hostages may not be recovered immediately.

Hamas said on Thursday night that it could not return more bodies due to lack of equipment to clean up the rubble. This statement is inconsistent with Jerusalem's assessment-Israeli officials told the media that Hamas could have returned the remains of most of the 28 hostages killed within the original deadline.

The Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday that Israel had told mediators that it believed Hamas had the whereabouts of at least six other bodies. A senior Israeli official also told Channel 12:"The number of hostages Hamas can return is in double digits."

According to the media, security officials recommended on Thursday that until more bodies are returned, Israel should restrict the entry of reconstruction supplies into Gaza and consider postponing the opening of the Rafah crossing for people.

There are reports that Egypt has sent a message to Hamas asking it to fulfill its ceasefire obligations, while also urging Israel to avoid applying additional pressure.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with close advisors on Thursday to discuss possible measures of pressure on Hamas. Government hostage coordinator Ghal Khash said to the rest of the hostage families killed that Hamas would face increasing pressure, but did not disclose details.

Israeli officials have seen inadequate progress on the return of the remains as a ¡°fundamental violation of the agreement,¡± while U.S. spokesman for the White House, Steve Witkov, said on Thursday: ¡°We will work hard to recover the remains of all the victims until they all go home.

Hamas said it would take time to recover the remains because some may have been buried in damaged buildings or under the ruins of tunnels, while Israel insisted that while some may be in such a state, Hamas is currently seizing other bodies that can be returned immediately.

In this context, Netanyahu had a regular phone call with the U.S. President on Thursday night. Netanyahuly introduced Trump to the measures Israel plans to take against Hamas, and Trump supported it.

A video released by Qatar Peninsula TV from Thursday to Friday night shows Hamas personnel searching for the hostages in southern Gaza, where bulldozers and other heavy machinery are being used to clean rubble on severely damaged streets.

Israel's Channel 13 reported late on Thursday that a team of people from the United States, Turkey, Egypt and Qatar had arrived in Gaza and would soon begin searching for the remains of more hostages. The media said that Qatar provided engineering equipment for this purpose.

According to Channel 12, Israel has provided the relevant countries with concrete coordinates where it believes the hostages could be buried. Turkish Defense Ministry sources said Thursday that "there has been a team of 81 AFAD personnel in the area," AFAD is the Turkish disaster relief agency, one of which will be responsible for the search for the remains.

This round of conflict broke out on October 7, 2023, when Hamas personnel entered southern Israel, killing about 1200 people and taking 251 hostages.

The previous day, Israel and Hamas reached an agreement under U.S. mediation to secure the release of all remaining hostages in exchange for a ceasefire, the release of 250 Palestinian detainees sentenced to life imprisonment, about 1,700 Gaza detainees detained during the conflict, and an agreement to release 15 Palestinian bodies for every return of one hostage killed.

The agreement is the first stage of a 20-point peace plan proposed by the United States, with the ultimate goal of disarming Hamas, demilitarizing Gaza, and establishing a transitional "technocratic" governance mechanism. If the Palestinian Authority completes certain reforms, the mechanism may transfer management functions to it in the future.