Hamas expands search for bodies of Israeli hostages in Gaza

Palestinians stand amid the ruins of Gaza City as the fragile ceasefire holds (Jehad Alshrafi/AP)

Hamas has expanded its search for the bodies of hostages in new areas in the Gaza Strip, the Palestinian group said, a day after Egypt deployed a team of experts and heavy equipment to help retrieve them.

Under the fragile US-brokered ceasefire reached on October 10, Hamas is expected to return all of the remains of Israeli hostages as soon as possible. Israel agreed to give back 15 bodies of Palestinians for every body of a hostage.