However, Israel has said it is keeping the crossing closed until Hamas "fulfils" its commitments under the terms of the Gaza ceasefire deal by returning the bodies of deceased hostages. Israel has kept the Gaza side of the Egyptian border closed since May 2024 when it took control during the war.

The United Nations’ top court issued a legal opinion Wednesday stating that Israel, as an occupying power, is obligated to work with UN agencies to facilitate humanitarian aid in Gaza, a rebuke of the blockade it imposed on the Palestinian enclave earlier this year.

A collective funeral ceremony was held Wednesday in Deir al-Balah, in central Gaza, for 54 unidentified Palestinians whose bodies were returned from Israel, the Palestinian Civil Defense (PCD) reported.

Kosher restaurant chain Shouk permanently closes all Washington DC locations after two years of boycotts and protests over Gaza war allegations.

Over the past eleven days, 195 bodies have been returned to Gaza by Israeli authorities, in exchange for the bodies of 13 Israeli hostages, under the terms of Donald Trump's ceasefire deal. Two other bodies – those of Nepalese and Thai hostages – have also been returned by Hamas.

The International Court of Justice said Israel must work with U.N. agencies, including UNRWA, the group for Palestinian refugees, which Israel has banned.

A total of 195 bodies were transported by the Red Cross to the hospital in southern Gaza since last week, when a ceasefire agreement to end the war between Israel and Hamas was put in place.

The court also says Israel has not substantiated its allegations against the UN agency for Palestinian refugees.