Remains of 4 other Israeli hostages handed over by Hamas

Hamas handed over more remains of Israeli hostages on Tuesday as part of a Agreement negotiated by the United States intended to maintain peace in Gaza, Israeli officials said.

Four coffins of deceased hostages were transferred to the Red Cross and were on their way to the Israel Defense Forces and the Israel Security Agency in the Gaza Strip, according to a joint statement by the IDF and the ISA, citing information provided by the Red Cross.

“Hamas must respect the agreement and take the necessary measures to return the hostages,” the statement read.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office also confirmed in a statement Tuesday night local time that the remains of the four hostages had been handed over.

The remains “will be received in military status with the Military Chief Rabbi,” Netanyahu’s office said, after which they will be transferred to the Israeli Health Ministry’s National Center for Forensic Medicine for identification.

Once they are identified, the victims’ families will be notified, Netanyahu’s office said.

The return of the hostages is a cornerstone of the Gaza peace plan, which called for Hamas to hand over all remaining hostages. 20 living and 28 dead – as of Monday, October 13.

While Hamas returned all 20 hostages alive before Monday’s deadline, the remains of only four deceased Israeli captives They were delivered on Monday. They were identified on Tuesday by Netanyahu’s office as Guy Iluz, Israeli military captain Daniel Peretz, Yossi Sharabi and Bipin Joshi.

With their delivery on Tuesday, Hamas will have released the remains of eight deceased hostages to Israel.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said in a social media post on Monday that Hamas’ return of just four bodies constituted “a violation of the agreement,” adding that “any delay or deliberate evasion will be considered a serious violation of the agreement and will be responded to accordingly.”

During the negotiations that led to the deal, Hamas representatives said they did not know the location of all the remains of the deceased hostages, according to Israeli media reports. President Trump also said in Egypt on Monday that not all of the bodies of the deceased hostages had been found, adding that unidentified parties were still “working” on how to locate an unspecified number of remains.

Gal Hirsch, Hostages and Missing Persons Coordinator for the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office, told News themezone last week that an international team would be established to locate missing hostages in Gaza, but details about who will form that team and when its work might begin were not confirmed Tuesday.

The Hostage and Missing Families Forum, which represents families of Israeli hostages, has expressed anger that not all the bodies have been returned and has called on the United States to leave “no stone unturned in demanding that Hamas fulfill its part of the agreement and bring all remaining hostages home.”

In exchange for Israeli hostages, the peace agreement stipulated that Israel would release nearly 2,000 Palestinian detainees and prisoners held by Israel. He also called for an increase in humanitarian aid to Gaza and a partial withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Palestinian territory’s main cities, which occurred on Friday and began a three-day period for the return of Israeli hostages.

In:

• Hamas
• Israel
• Gaza Strip