Israel said on Thursday it was preparing for the reopening of Gaza's Rafah crossing with Egypt to let Palestinians in and out, but set no date as it traded blame with Hamas over violations of a U.S.-mediated ceasefire.

CAIRO (AP) — Palestinians and aid workers are eagerly awaiting the reopening of the Rafah border crossing, which is the Gaza Strip’s lifeline for food and other aid and its only gateway to the outside world that wasn’t controlled by Israel before the war.

CAIRO/JERUSALEM (Reuters) -Israel said on Thursday it was preparing for the reopening of Gaza's Rafah crossing with Egypt to let Palestinians in and out, but set no date as it traded blame with Hamas over violations of the U.S.-mediated ceasefire.

Israel said on Thursday it was preparing for the reopening of Gaza’s Rafah crossing with Egypt to let Palestinians in and out, but set no date as it traded blame with Hamas over violations of the U.S.-mediated ceasefire.

Israel might keep Gaza's important Rafah crossing closed due to the lack of progress by Hamas in returning the remains of the dead hostages to Israel.

Hamas claims the return of Israeli hostages’ bodies will take time, saying some are buried in destroyed tunnels and others under bombed buildings. Hamas claimed on Thursday that the return of Israeli hostages' bodies may take time,

Hamas announced on Wednesday that it had handed over all the hostages’ remains it could access, presenting a major hurdle to the Gaza peace deal. The group has only handed over the remains of 10 people,