Hamas is withholding the remains of at least 10 people — bodies that should be handed over to fulfill existing agreements and bring an end to the initial phase of the conflict with Israel, former Pentagon official Alex Plitsas told Newsmax Saturday.
“If they’re withholding, which there are some reports of, the Israelis have intelligence that they have access to at least 10 other bodies they haven’t handed over. It’s definitely going to be a problem,” Plitsas said during an appearance on “Saturday Agenda.”
Any continued refusal to return remains is “another example of Hamas’ last act of cruelty and incompetence laid bare for the world to see.”
The peace deal spearheaded by President Donald Trump outlines a phased ceasefire, the release of hostages and Palestinian prisoners, and the gradual demilitarization of Gaza under international supervision.
It would also establish a transitional governing body to oversee humanitarian aid and reconstruction before eventual Palestinian self-administration.
Key disputes remain over Hamas’ role in postwar security and the extent of Israel’s military withdrawal, raising doubts over whether the deal can evolve from a fragile truce into a lasting peace.
Hamas has returned some, but far fewer than the full number of hostages expected so far.
Plitsas framed the issue as the final task of “phase one” — a stage he described as the immediate accounting for hostages and remains and short-term stabilization.
He warned that the far more complex and contentious debates come next.
“This doesn’t even get to phase two,” he said. “That’s actually the more difficult piece of it.”
Phase two, Plitsas said, centers on the long-term security arrangements and the fate of Hamas’ military capabilities.
He said the critical sticking point for international mediators over the past two years has not been specific ceasefire mechanics, but Hamas’ unwillingness to disarm and its insistence on playing a role in postwar security — a demand Israel consistently rejects as nonstarter.
“While the world community and many folks were busy trying to blame the Israelis for a deal not going through, the biggest sticking point over the last two years has been Hamas’ unwillingness to give up its weapons and its demand to be some part of postwar security in Gaza,” he said.
He said that demand is incompatible with Israel’s requirement to prevent future attacks against its civilians.
Plitsas also pointed to the scale and brutality of the Oct. 7 attacks as evidence of why Israel will not accept a security role for a group that carried out mass murder and kidnapping.
“If you saw the video compilations from Oct. 7, 3,500 indoctrinated people crossed the border and committed some of the most heinous war crimes I’ve ever witnessed,” he said, adding that comparisons to other extremist organizations only underscore the perceived threat.
“Israel cannot allow that to exist on its borders any longer,” Plitsas said.
“And if they don’t give up their weapons, they’re going to be taken from them and they’re not going to like it.”
Newsmax wires contributed to this report.
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