The Israeli military has confirmed that a coffin containing the remains of a deceased hostage has been transferred to the Red Cross in the southern Gaza Strip. It is now en route to the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) troops stationed in the region. In a recent post on X, the IDF urged the public to exercise sensitivity during this time and emphasized the importance of waiting for official identification, which will first be communicated to the families of the deceased.
The IDF reiterated that Hamas is obligated to return all deceased hostages in accordance with the agreement established during the Gaza ceasefire negotiations. This announcement follows a previous statement from Hamas indicating that it would hand over the body of an Israeli hostage on Friday. Earlier this week, Hamas successfully returned the bodies of nine out of the 28 deceased hostages held in Gaza and has also freed all 20 living hostages.
There has been considerable outrage in Israel regarding Hamas's failure to return all bodies as stipulated in last week's ceasefire deal. However, the U.S. government has downplayed claims suggesting that this constitutes a breach of the agreement. In a late Friday update on X, the IDF did not provide further details regarding the destination of the coffin after its transfer by the Red Cross.
According to the Times of Israel, a small ceremony led by a military rabbi is scheduled to take place in Gaza. Following this, the remains will be transported to Tel Aviv for identification. Hamas has expressed its commitment to the ceasefire, stating its intention to hand over all remaining corpses. The Palestinian group has accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of hindering efforts to locate the remains of hostages by restricting access to heavy machinery and diggers in Gaza.
While speaking at a memorial for the victims of the Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023, Netanyahu reaffirmed his determination to secure the return of deceased hostages still in Gaza. He pledged that Israel would continue its fight against terrorism with unwavering resolve. As part of the ceasefire agreement brokered by former U.S. President Donald Trump, Israel released 250 Palestinian prisoners from its jails and 1,718 detainees from Gaza.
After Hamas reported difficulties in retrieving all bodies, two senior advisers to Trump indicated that preparations for the next phase of the ceasefire agreement are still in motion. These advisers informed reporters that the U.S. government currently does not perceive Hamas as having violated the agreement by failing to recover more remains and acknowledged that the group has acted in good faith by sharing information with intermediaries.
While the full details of the agreement between Israel and Hamas remain undisclosed, a leaked version circulating in Israeli media suggests that not all bodies may be immediately accessible. In response to the October 7 attack, during which Hamas militants killed approximately 1,200 people in southern Israel and took 251 hostages, the Israeli military launched a campaign in Gaza. According to the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza, at least 67,967 people have died due to Israeli attacks since the onset of this military operation, and these figures are considered reliable by the United Nations.
