Israel as part of the ceasefire were buried at a mass grave site in the Palestinian enclave on Wednesday after health officials were unable to identify the remains.

President Donald Trump is suggesting he could call on Israel to release imprisoned Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti, the most popular and potentially unifying Palestinian leader, as the United States aims to fill a leadership vacuum in postwar Gaza.

Eyal Zamir added that the return of the remains of the 13 hostages still held in Gaza "must be a prerequisite before moving to the next phase. ” The IDF considers the disarmament of Hamas a necessary condition for moving to the next stage of the US-brokered Gaza deal,

The group still commands thousands of fighters, but the war has taken a toll on its weapons supplies, and its political future is uncertain.

Hamas has deployed hundreds of police and clashed with armed groups in Gaza in what the militant group says is an attempt to restore law and order in areas where Israeli troops have withdrawn for the U.

Trump said on Monday that the US would destroy Hamas if the militant group didn’t continue to honor the ceasefire with Israel.

Amid the ceasefire with Israel, Hamas is sending a message that it remains the only visible authority in Gaza, with huge implications for Trump’s peace plan.

Hamas is reasserting control of parts of Gaza not occupied by Israeli forces as the ceasefire takes hold – amid continuing uncertainty about security in the territory if the group is disarmed.

An Israeli security official said the transfer of aid into the territory is halted "until further notice," the first major test of the ceasefire.