Red Cross on its way to retrieve bodies of dead hostages, says IDF

The Red Cross went to collect the coffins of Israeli hostages held by Hamas, the Israel Defense Forces said on Monday. IDF said, “According to the information received, the Red Cross has set out for the meeting point in the south of the Gaza Strip, where the coffins of the deceased hostages will be delivered to them. The IDF is ready to receive additional coffins of the deceased hostages, which are expected to be transferred to the Red Cross later. The IDF Spokesperson Unit requests the public to act sensitively and wait for the official IDs to be given to the families of the hostages first.”

As Israel celebrated the return of the last 20 living hostages on the eve of Simchat Torah, IDF Spokesperson BG Effie Defrin described it as a defining moment. In his post on

The Israel Defense Forces said earlier in the day that the returned hostages were undergoing medical evaluation before being taken to hospitals where they would be reunited with their families. “Operation Homecoming: Over the past few minutes, the returned hostages Nimrod Cohen, Yosef-Chaim Ohana and Bar Kupershtein, along with their family members, were flown to hospitals by IAF helicopters. The returned hostages have undergone initial medical evaluation and are now on their way to hospitals where they will be reunited with the rest of their families and receive ongoing medical care.”

The IDF said the freed hostages were with their families. Kupershtein and Rom Braslavski, who will undergo initial medical evaluation, will be reunited with their families at the first reception point in southern Israel. “IDF representatives accompany all family members waiting in hospitals and continue to provide them with constantly updated information,” he said.

The IDF launched Operation “Homecoming” to liberate the hostages from Hamas captivity. The military pressure we have exerted over the past two years, together with complementary diplomatic measures, constitutes a victory against Hamas. We will continue to act to shape a security reality that will ensure that the Gaza Strip no longer poses a threat to the State of Israel and its civilians,” said Chief of Staff LTG Eyal Zamir.

Except for the headline, the story has not been edited by DNA staff and is published from ANI.