Daijiworld Media Network - Israel
Israel, Nov 26: In a sensitive development that has stirred renewed tension, Israel on Tuesday received through the Red Cross a coffin said by Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) to contain the body of one of the last three deceased hostages still in Gaza. The remains were immediately transported to the National Centre of Forensic Medicine in Tel Aviv for formal identification.
The handover followed Monday’s announcement by Hamas and PIJ that they had located the body of an Israeli hostage in central Gaza. However, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office expressed strong displeasure over what it termed an “unnecessary and severe delay,” calling it another violation of the six-week-old ceasefire agreement.
Following the transfer, the Prime Minister’s Office confirmed that the families of all three remaining deceased hostages had been briefed. “Our hearts are with them in this hour of deep sorrow. Efforts to bring every hostage back home will continue without pause,” the statement noted.
Under the first phase of the US-brokered ceasefire that took effect on October 10, Hamas had agreed to return 20 living hostages and the bodies of 28 deceased Israeli and foreign nationals within 72 hours. All surviving hostages were freed on October 13 in exchange for 250 Palestinian prisoners and 1,718 detainees from Gaza.
Authorities in Israel have so far received the remains of 22 deceased Israeli hostages and three foreigners — from Thailand, Nepal and Tanzania. In return, Israel has handed over the bodies of 330 Palestinians killed during the conflict.
The three hostages whose bodies are yet to be recovered include Israelis Ran Gvili (24) and Dror Or (48), and Thai national Suthisak Rintalak (43). Israel maintains that Hamas is intentionally delaying the process, while Hamas insists rubble and destruction have made retrieval efforts extremely difficult.
The slow progress has stalled movement on the second phase of President Donald Trump’s Gaza peace plan, which outlines a political and security roadmap for Gaza, including the withdrawal of Israeli troops, disarmament of Hamas and post-war reconstruction.
The deceased hostages still in Gaza were among the 251 people abducted during the Hamas-led assault on Israel on October 7, 2023, which left around 1,200 people dead. Israel’s military response has since claimed the lives of more than 69,770 people in Gaza, according to health authorities in the Hamas-run territory.