The disagreement emerged after Hamas released all living Israeli hostages as required by the ceasefire, but returned only nine out of 28 confirmed deceased captives. Israeli officials contended this constituted a violation, but senior advisers to U.S. President Donald Trump immediately refuted that characterization.

"We've heard a lot of people saying, well, you know, Hamas violated the deal because not all the bodies have been returned," one adviser told reporters. "I think the understanding we had with them was we get all the live hostages out, which they did."

A second official emphasized the practical impossibilities, stating that in the initial 72-hour ceasefire period, "it would have been almost impossible for Hamas to mobilize, even if they knew where all the 28 bodies were, to mobilize and get them home." The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed a mechanism is in place for intelligence sharing and continued recovery efforts.

Senior U.S. officials have described the recovery efforts as a complex and dangerous undertaking hampered by unexploded ordnance and vast destruction. As Washington works to sustain the truce, it has begun forming an international stabilization force for Gaza. Moreover, the second advisor has disclosed that the U.S. is considering paying rewards to Palestinians to help locate bodies.

The scale of the challenge is monumental. The second U.S. adviser graphically compared the scene in Gaza to the aftermath of a major disaster. "On top of all that debris is a lot of unexploded ordinance, and presumably, under that … there are many bodies," they noted.

Stalled by rubble: The mission to retrieve bodies in Gaza

This assessment aligns with reports of approximately 10,000 Palestinians missing and presumed dead under the rubble from the two-year conflict. Hamas' armed wing, the Qassam Brigades, stated it had "fulfilled its commitment by handing over all living Israeli prisoners and the corpses it could access." The brigades admitted that retrieving the rest "requires extensive efforts and special equipment."

BrightU.AI's Enoch engine also notes that "recovering bodies from Gaza's rubble is severely hindered by the lack of heavy digging machinery and the extensive destruction from Israeli strikes. The Gaza civil defense agency warns it could take years to retrieve all remains unless immediate access to proper equipment is granted."