Israel receives remains of three more hostages from Gaza | Israel-Gaza war
Israel announced that the remains of three hostages were delivered from Gaza due to a fragile ceasefire that has lasted for a month and will be examined by forensic experts.
In an earlier statement from Hamas, it was stated that the remains were found in a tunnel in southern Gaza on Sunday.
Since the ceasefire came into force on October 10, Palestinian militants had freed the remains of 17 hostages, 11 of whom were still in Gaza, before the handover on Sunday. The bodies of eight hostages remained in Gaza.
Militants release a body or two every few days. Israel called for faster progress and said in some cases that the remains did not belong to any hostages. Hamas said the job was complicated by widespread destruction in Gaza.
The Israeli army said that the official identification of these remains will be given to the families first.
Families of the hostages continue to demonstrate every week. On Saturday night, Moran Harari, friend of the late Carmel Gat, called on Israel to exercise restraint.
“This accursed war has claimed the lives of many precious people on both sides of the fence. This time, we must not be in this situation again,” Harari said during a rally in Jerusalem.
Israel is releasing the remains of 15 Palestinians for the return of the remains of an Israeli hostage.
Health officials in Gaza have difficulty identifying bodies without access to DNA kits. Only 75 of the 225 Palestinian bodies returned since the ceasefire began have been identified, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health, which released photos of the bodies in the hope that families would recognize them.
It is unclear whether the returning Palestinians were killed in Israel during the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023 that sparked the war, died as detainees in Israeli custody, or were rescued from Gaza by soldiers during the war.
The exchange became the centerpiece of the first phase of the US-brokered ceasefire. The 20-point plan includes the creation of an international stabilization force consisting of Arab and other partners that will work with Egypt and Jordan to secure Gaza’s borders and ensure compliance with the ceasefire.
Several countries have expressed interest in joining the peacekeeping force but have called for a clear mandate from the UN Security Council before sending troops.
Other difficult questions include disarmament of Hamas and management of post-conflict Gaza, as well as when and how to increase humanitarian aid.
Israel’s prime minister said early Sunday that “there are still some areas of Hamas” in parts of Gaza controlled by Israeli forces. “Actually, there are two of them in Rafah and Khan Younis, and they will be eliminated,” Benjamin Netanyahu said at the cabinet meeting.
The deadliest and most destructive war to date between Israel and Hamas began with a Hamas-led attack in 2023 that killed nearly 1,200 people and took 251 hostages.
Israel’s military offensive has killed more than 68,600 Palestinians in Gaza, according to Gaza’s health ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants.
The ministry, which is part of the Hamas-led government and is staffed by medical experts, keeps detailed records that are generally considered reliable by independent experts.
Israel, which rejects accusations by the UN commission of inquiry and others of committing genocide in Gaza, disputed the ministry’s figures without citing a contradictory figure.
