Hamas delivered two coffins to Israeli forces on Tuesday night, claiming they contained the remains of two Israeli hostages who had been held in the Gaza Strip.
The handover was mediated by the Red Cross, and the bodies were immediately transported from Gaza to a forensic institute in Tel Aviv for identification.
In a brief statement, Hamas said that “two bodies of hostages were recovered today in the Gaza Strip,” without disclosing any names or identities. The move comes just one day after the group handed over the body of murdered hostage Tal Haimi.
If confirmed that the remains belong to hostages held by Hamas, the number of deceased captives still in Gaza would drop from 15 to 13. At the beginning of the ceasefire on October 10, there were 28 dead hostages.
Under the ceasefire agreement, Hamas released the last 20 surviving hostages last Monday, within 72 hours of the Israeli withdrawal to the so-called “Yellow Line.” During that truce, the group also returned the remains of 13 murdered captives.
Among the 15 hostages still considered dead and held in Gaza is an Israeli soldier who was killed in the 2014 Gaza war. Israeli authorities are conducting identification procedures, while the international community closely monitors developments, urging the complete return of all hostages, living or deceased.
