Israel has received a coffin through the Red Cross, purportedly containing the remains of a deceased hostage, as confirmed by the office of the Israeli prime minister. The remains will now be transferred to the National Centre of Forensic Medicine in Tel Aviv for identification.
Hamas claims recovery of Israeli soldier’s body
Earlier, Hamas’s military faction announced that they had located the body of an Israeli soldier in the eastern Shejaiya neighborhood of Gaza City. This search was facilitated by Israel, which permitted members of Hamas and Red Cross personnel to look for remains in areas still under Israeli control.
Allegations of delay and the ceasefire agreement
The Israeli government has accused Hamas of intentionally prolonging the recovery of deceased hostages since the implementation of a ceasefire agreement brokered by the United States on October 10. In rebuttal, Hamas has stated that the ongoing conflict makes it challenging to locate bodies buried under debris.
“Hamas agreed to return the 20 living and 28 dead hostages within 72 hours under the ceasefire deal,”
All living Israeli hostages were released on October 13 in a swap for 250 Palestinian prisoners and 1,718 detainees from Gaza. In return, Israel has repatriated the bodies of 270 Palestinians in exchange for the remains of 18 Israeli hostages returned by Hamas prior to Tuesday, along with those of two foreign hostages – one from Thailand and another from Nepal.
Among the eight deceased hostages still in Gaza before Tuesday, six were Israeli, one was Tanzanian, and another was Thai. Most of these fatalities were part of the 251 individuals captured during the Hamas-led attacks on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, which resulted in the deaths of approximately 1,200 others.
In retaliation, Israel initiated a military campaign in Gaza, during which reports from the Hamas-run health ministry indicate that over 68,800 people have been killed. Earlier on Tuesday, reports emerged from a hospital in Gaza City indicating that an individual was killed by Israeli fire in the Jabalia area of northern Gaza. The Israeli military stated that its forces eliminated a “terrorist” who had crossed the “Yellow Line,” the boundary separating Israeli-controlled territory, and posed a threat to their safety.