Israel has confirmed the receipt of a coffin from Hamas, which claims to contain the body of another hostage. The confirmation follows a statement from Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, indicating that the body was located in Khan Younis, southern Gaza. The Israeli Prime Minister’s office mentioned that the body is set to be transferred to Israel, where it will undergo identification following a military ceremony.
If confirmed as belonging to a hostage, this would mean that 25 out of 28 deceased hostages have been returned to Israel under the first phase of a ceasefire agreement, part of a broader U.S. strategy to conclude the ongoing conflict in Gaza. As stipulated in the ceasefire deal, Hamas had agreed to return 20 living and 28 deceased hostages it was holding. All living Israeli hostages were released on October 13 in exchange for the release of 250 Palestinian prisoners and 1,718 detainees from Gaza.
Under the terms of the agreement, Israel has committed to returning the remains of 15 Palestinians for each deceased Israeli hostage. However, the identification process faces challenges due to the lack of DNA testing capabilities in Gaza. Hamas initially took 251 hostages during an attack in southern Israel on October 7, resulting in the deaths of approximately 1,200 people. In response, over 69,000 Palestinians are reported to have died as a result of Israel’s military actions, according to the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza, although these figures are disputed by Israel.
Prior to this latest handover, three bodies in Gaza were identified as Israeli, with one being Thai. While Israel has accused Hamas of delaying the recovery of the bodies, Hamas claims that locating them beneath rubble poses significant difficulties. The ongoing situation has stalled progress on the second phase of the U.S. peace plan for Gaza, which addresses governance, withdrawal of Israeli troops, disarmament of Hamas, and reconstruction efforts.
Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/czxnerkx5pgo?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss