Jerusalem, Undefined — Israel said its security forces in the Gaza Strip had received from the Red Cross the remains of two hostages returned by Hamas on Thursday as part of a ceasefire deal.
Hamas’s armed wing the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades had earlier announced it would return two bodies on Thursday afternoon.
Not including the latest two, Hamas have so far given back the remains of 15 of the 28 deceased hostages that Hamas had agreed to return as part of the US-brokered truce deal with Israel.
“Israel has received, through the Red Cross, the bodies of two hostages that were handed over to IDF and Shin Bet forces inside the Gaza Strip,” a statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanayhu’s office said.
It added that the remains would be transferred to a forensic medical center for identification.
Israel launched a wave of strikes on Gaza overnight from Tuesday to Wednesday after an attack that left an Israeli soldier dead in the south of the Palestinian territory.
Gaza’s civil defense agency — which operates as a rescue force under Hamas authority — said the strikes killed more than 100 people, including dozens of children, in the worst night of bombing since the truce went into effect on October 10.
By Wednesday morning, Israel said it had begun “renewed enforcement of the ceasefire”, and both US President Donald Trump and regional mediator Qatar said they expected it to hold.
Hamas has said its fighters had “no connection to the shooting incident in Rafah” and reaffirmed its commitment to the truce.
It also delayed handing over what it said were the remains of a deceased hostage, adding that any “escalation will hinder the search, excavation and recovery of the bodies”.
The militant group drew outrage in Israel on Monday after it returned the partial remains of a previously recovered captive, which Israel said was a breach of the truce.
Hamas had said the remains were the 16th body it had agreed to return, but Israeli forensic examination determined they were in fact partial remains of a hostage whose body had already been brought back to Israel around two years ago, according to the prime minister’s office.
Militants took 251 people hostage during Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel that triggered the war in Gaza.
After the start of this month’s ceasefire, the group returned the 20 surviving captives still in its custody and began the process of returning the 28 bodies of deceased hostages.
Israel accuses Hamas of reneging on the deal by not returning them fast enough, but the Palestinian group says it will take time to locate remains buried in Gaza’s ruins.
