Israel plans to halve aid into Gaza over slow return of dead hostages

The ceasefire plan introduced by Donald Trump called for 'all hostages, alive and deceased' to be returned within 72 hours of the agreement’s acceptance

Photographs of Israeli hostages at the plaza known as hostages square in Tel Aviv (Francisco Seco/AP)

The fragile ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war was tested on Tuesday as the slower-than-hoped return of dead hostages from Gaza prompted an Israeli military agency to declare a “violation” of the truce agreement that it would respond to by halving the number of aid trucks allowed into the devastated territory.

Word of the cut in aid was transmitted to US officials and international aid groups, according to three AP sources who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the matter.