Egyptian state-linked media confirmed Saturday evening that the country has deployed equipment and a specialized team to the Gaza Strip to help locate and recover the bodies of Israeli hostages who remain missing.

Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya also confirmed that “new areas will be entered” on Sunday to search for the bodies of the missing hostages, according to a write-up on Hamas’ official website summarizing Al-Hayya’s interview with Al Jazeera on Saturday.

"We will not give the occupation a pretext to resume the war. ... We have no reservations on any national figure residing in Gaza to administer the Gaza Strip. ... Our weapons are linked to the presence of occupation and aggression; if the occupation ends, these weapons will be transferred to the state," al-Hayya added in the Al Jazeera interview.

-ABC News' Ayat Altawy, Nasser Atta, Jordana Miller and Samy Zyara

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu used a Sunday cabinet meeting to push back on recent suggestions that the U.S. is dictating security policy on Gaza.

"Israel is an independent state, the United States is an independent state," Netanyahu said.

"The relations between us are those of partners," he said, adding, "I want to make one thing clear -- it is our own security policy. We are not prepared to tolerate attacks against us, we respond according to our own discretion against attacks, as we have seen in Lebanon and in Gaza."

Netanyahu also said Israel is not seeking approval for military attacks and addressed the issue of international teams meant to monitor the ceasefire deal in Gaza.

"We control our own security and we have made it clear to the international forces that Israel will determine which forces are acceptable to us, and that is how we operate and will continue to operate," he said.

-ABC News' Jordana Miller and Victoria Beaule

President Donald Trump pressed Hamas to return the bodies of all deceased hostages or face "action" from nations involved in the Gaza ceasefire plan.

"We have a very strong PEACE in the Middle East, and I believe it has a good chance of being EVERLASTING," Trump wrote in a Saturday social media post.

"Hamas is going to have to start returning the bodies of the deceased hostages, including two Americans, quickly, or the other Countries involved in this GREAT PEACE will take action," Trump added.

The bodies of 13 hostages are still believed to be in Gaza. Hamas committed to returning all living and deceased captives being held in the strip as part of the ceasefire deal reached earlier this month. All 20 living hostages and the bodies of 15 deceased captives have so far been released.

Hamas officials have said the group is continuing to search for the remaining hostage bodies, saying the devastation caused by Israel's attacks on Gaza has complicated recovery efforts.

-ABC News' Hannah Demissie

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has named U.S. Ambassador to Yemen Steven Fagin as the "civilian lead" of the Civil-Military Coordination Center, in charge of monitoring the ceasefire in Gaza.

Fagin, will join the military lead for the operation, Lt. Gen. Patrick Frank, and 200 servicemembers from U.S. Central Command -- with expertise in transportation, planning, security, logistics and engineering -- who are staffing the hub.

Frank briefed Rubio today at the center, according to the television pool.

Rubio promised more diplomats would arrive at the hub, as well as personnel from partner nations who are involved in shoring up the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

Trump Administration officials said the hub will have representatives from partner nations, NGOs, international institutions and the private sector to support stabilization efforts.

There are 500 tons of lifesaving aid, including medical equipment and hygiene supplies, for Gaza stuck at the border "due to ongoing bureaucratic delays by the Israeli authorities," according to the International Rescue Committee.

"IRC staff working inside Gaza have shared firsthand accounts of the immense suffering, loss, and resilience of communities. These testimonies reflect the daily reality faced by families across Gaza and underscore the urgent need for the continued reduction of violence and sustained humanitarian action," the IRC said in a statement Wednesday.

This comes one day after the World Food Programme said more border crossings need to be opened to allow in aid at the level needed to keep the famine from spreading.

"IRC staff on the ground report that thousands of displaced people and many who have returned to areas like Gaza City after the ceasefire are still struggling amid massive destruction. With homes reduced to rubble and basic services decimated, families are living without adequate shelter, clean drinking water, food, or sanitation," IRC said.

"Health facilities remain overwhelmed, leaving those in need of medical care unable to access lifesaving services, putting already vulnerable lives at even greater risk," the aid group warned.