Israel has reportedly received a coffin that Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad claim contains the body of a hostage. The armed wing of Hamas stated that the body was located in Khan Younis in southern Gaza and that it has been transferred to Israel via the Red Cross for identification.
Prior to this handover, Hamas had returned all 20 living hostages and 22 out of 28 deceased hostages as part of a ceasefire deal that began on October 10. Among the six deceased hostages remaining in Gaza, five were Israeli, and one was Thai. Israel has criticized Hamas for failing to return all bodies, to which Hamas responded that recovery is complicated due to rubble in the area.
During the initial phase of the U.S.-brokered ceasefire agreement, Israel released 250 Palestinian prisoners from its jails and 1,718 detainees from Gaza. Additionally, Israel provided the bodies of 285 Palestinians in exchange for the remains of 19 Israeli hostages returned by Hamas, as well as three foreign hostages: one each from Thailand, Nepal, and Tanzania.
The ceasefire arrangement also involved a commitment to increase aid to the Gaza Strip, a partial withdrawal of Israeli forces, and a cessation of hostilities. However, violence has escalated, with both sides accusing each other of violations. Following attacks that resulted in the deaths of two Israeli soldiers on October 19 and another on October 28, Israeli military actions have reportedly killed at least 241 individuals since the ceasefire’s commencement, according to figures provided by the Hamas-run health ministry, which are regarded as reliable by the UN.
As background, the conflict intensified following a significant attack by Hamas on October 7, 2023, where approximately 1,200 individuals in southern Israel were killed, and 251 others were taken hostage; all but one of the deceased hostages still held in Gaza were abducted during this incident. The health ministry in Gaza has reported that Israeli actions have resulted in at least 68,875 deaths in the region since that date.
Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cwykw15dx56o?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss