Red Cross retrieves body of dead hostage in Gaza, Israel says
The coffin of a deceased hostage has been transferred to the Red Cross in the southern Gaza Strip and is now “on the way to the IDF”, the Israeli military said [Israel Defence Forces] There are “unions in the region”.
In its post on the X site, the IDF called on the public to “act sensitively and wait for the official IDs to be given to the families first.”
He stressed that Hamas must “return all dead hostages” in accordance with the Gaza ceasefire agreement.
This follows Hamas’ earlier announcement on Friday that it would hand over the body of an Israeli hostage.
This week, Hamas returned the bodies of nine of Gaza’s 28 dead hostages and released all 20 living hostages.
There was outrage in Israel that Hamas did not return all the bodies in accordance with last week’s ceasefire agreement; but the United States downplayed the suggestion that this amounted to a violation.
In posts on X late Friday, the IDF did not provide further details about where the hostage’s coffin would be taken after it is transferred by the Red Cross.
Meanwhile, the Times of Israel reported that a small ceremony led by a military rabbi will be held in Gaza, after which the remains will be taken to Tel Aviv for identification.
Hamas said it remained committed to the ceasefire, including its “willingness to hand over all remaining bodies.”
The Palestinian group accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of hindering its ability to search for the remains of hostages by not allowing heavy machinery and diggers to enter Gaza.
Speaking at a commemoration ceremony for the victims of the Hamas-led October 7, 2023 attack, Netanyahu said he was “determined” to ensure the return of dead hostages still in Gaza and that the country would continue to fight terrorism “with full force.”
As part of the ceasefire agreement brokered by US President Donald Trump, Israel released 250 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons and 1,718 detainees in Gaza.
After Hamas said it could not retrieve all the bodies, Trump’s two senior advisers said preparations were continuing to move to the next phase of the ceasefire agreement.
The U.S. government so far does not believe Hamas is violating the agreement by not taking more remains, and the group is acting in good faith by sharing information with its counterparts, advisers told reporters.
The full text of the agreement between Israel and Hamas has not yet been made public. A leaked version appeared in Israeli media It seemed to allow for the possibility that not all of the bodies could be recovered immediately.
The Israeli army launched an operation in Gaza in response to an attack in southern Israel in which Hamas-led gunmen killed nearly 1,200 people and took 251 hostage.
At least 67,967 people have been killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza since then, according to the region’s Hamas-run health ministry, whose figures are considered reliable by the UN.
