Hamas 'determined' to stick to Gaza truce: Erdogan

ISTANBUL, Nov 03 (AFP/BBC): Hamas is "determined" to stick to the Gaza truce, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erodgan said Monday, adding it was crucial that Muslim nations play a leading role in the Palestinian territory's reconstruction.
"It seems that Hamas is quite determined to adhere to the agreement," Erdogan told delegates from the Organization of Islamic States (OIC) gathered in Istanbul for their annual COMCEC economic cooperation summit.
His remarks came as Turkey prepared to host the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Pakistan and Indonesia for talks on Gaza's reconstruction as fears grow for the shaky October 10 ceasefire.
The talks are to begin around 1100 GMT at an Istanbul hotel, with a news conference due several hours later.
"At this point, we need to deliver more humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza and then begin reconstruction efforts. "The Israeli government is doing everything in its power to prevent this," Erdogan said.
Israel says remains handed over
by Hamas belong to captives
Israel confirmed Monday that remains handed over by Hamas the day before belonged to three hostages seized by Palestinian militants during the October 7, 2023 attack.
The remains were handed over as part of the ongoing Gaza ceasefire deal brokered by US President Donald Trump.
"Following the completion of the identification process... representatives of the IDF (military) informed the families of the hostages killed in action... that their loved ones have been repatriated to Israel and identified," the statement said.
The remains are those of American-Israeli Captain Omer Neutra, 21 years old at the time of his abduction, Corporal Oz Daniel, 19, and Colonel Assaf Hamami, 40, the highest-ranking officer killed by Hamas.
Hamas handed over their remains on Sunday via the Red Cross.
Meanwhile, the former top lawyer in the Israeli military has been arrested, as a political showdown deepens over the leaking of a video that allegedly shows severe abuse of a Palestinian detainee by Israeli soldiers.
Maj Gen Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi resigned as the Military Advocate General of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) last week, saying that she took full responsibility for the leak.
On Sunday, the story took a darker turn when she was reported as missing, with police mounting an hours-long search for her on a beach north of Tel Aviv. She was subsequently found alive and well, police said, but was then taken into custody.Israeli protesters enter army base after soldiers held over Gaza detainee abuse The fallout from the leaked video is intensifying by the day.
Broadcast in August 2024 on an Israeli news channel, the footage shows reserve soldiers at the Sde Teiman military base in southern Israel taking aside a detainee, then surrounding him with riot shields to block visibility while he was allegedly beaten and stabbed in the rectum with a sharp object. The detainee was subsequently treated for severe injuries.
Five reservists were subsequently charged with aggravated abuse and causing serious bodily harm to the detainee. They have denied the charges have not been named.
On Sunday, four of the reservists wore black balaclavas to hide their faces as they appeared at a news conference outside the Supreme Court in Jerusalem along with their lawyers, who demanded the dismissal of their trial.
Adi Keidar, a lawyer from the right-wing legal aid organisation Honenu, claimed his clients were subject to "to a faulty, biased and completely cooked-up legal process".
Last week, a criminal investigation was launched into the leaking of the video. Gen Tomer-Yerushalmi was put on leave while the inquiry took place. On Friday, Defence Minister Israel Katz said she would not be allowed to return to her post.
Shortly after that, Gen Tomer-Yerushalmi resigned. In her resignation letter, she said she took full responsibility for any material that was released to the media from the unit.
"I approved the release of material to the media in an attempt to counter false propaganda against the army's law enforcement authorities," she said.