Hamas has delivered a coffin, believed to contain the body of a deceased hostage, to the Red Cross, as reported by the Israeli military. The remains are expected to be transferred to Israeli authorities, who will send them to the National Centre of Foreign Medicine in Tel Aviv for identification.
This transfer occurs within the framework of a ceasefire agreement brokered by the United States, where Hamas had committed to returning 20 living and 28 dead Israeli and foreign hostages within a specified 72-hour period. However, Israel has accused Hamas of intentionally delaying the recovery of the remains, while Hamas claims it faces challenges in locating them beneath rubble.
If the latest remains are confirmed as belonging to a deceased hostage, there would still be six others remaining in Gaza, encompassing both Israelis and foreign nationals. The majority of living Israeli hostages were released on October 13 in exchange for 250 Palestinian prisoners and 1,718 detainees from Gaza. Additionally, Israel has returned the bodies of 300 Palestinians in exchange for the remains of Israeli hostages and two foreign hostages—one Thai and one Nepalese.
On Tuesday, the remains of Israeli-American soldier Itay Chen, 19, were returned. Chen was serving with the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) when he was killed during a Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023, and subsequently taken as a hostage.
The ongoing slow progress in recovering hostages is hindering advancements on the second phase of President Trump’s Gaza peace plan, which outlines governance in Gaza, the withdrawal of Israeli troops, Hamas disarmament, and reconstruction efforts. Israeli forces have permitted members of Hamas and Red Cross personnel to conduct searches for remains in areas still under Israeli control.
Most of the deceased hostages still in Gaza were among the 251 individuals abducted during the October 7 attack, which resulted in the deaths of approximately 1,200 others. In response, Israel initiated a military operation in Gaza, which has reportedly resulted in over 68,800 casualties, as per the Hamas-run health ministry in the region.
Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cgjdwje0ywdo?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss