Posted on 06/30/21
| News Source: Times of Israel
The Biden administration opposes Israel’s desire to condition post-war reconstruction projects in Gaza on the return of the bodies of the fallen IDF soldiers held by Hamas, two Western diplomats told The Times of Israel Monday.
In the past, Israel had agreed to hold a separate series of indirect talks with Hamas — one for a prisoner exchange, and another for Gaza reconstruction and securing a long-term truce.
However, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett is intent on combining the two issues, with an Israeli official telling The Times of Israel that the new government won’t enable long-term rehabilitation projects as long as Hamas refuses to return the bodies of IDF soldiers Hadar Goldin and Oron Shaul.
The bodies of the two Israeli servicemen have been held since the previous Gaza war in 2014. Two Israeli civilians, Abera Menginstu and Hisham al-Sayed, are also being held in the Hamas-run enclave after entering Gaza on their own accord. Their families say they suffer from mental illness.