Israel said on Monday that the Red Cross had handed over the body of another deceased hostage from Gaza to the Israeli military, according to a statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office.
If the identity of the recovered body is confirmed, it would bring the total number of deceased hostages whose remains are still in Gaza to 12, Israeli officials said.
The Palestinian militant group Hamas has claimed that locating some of the bodies has been difficult due to widespread destruction and debris left by months of fighting.
Earlier in the day, Hamas’ armed wing said it had recovered the body of a deceased Israeli hostage and would transfer it through the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
The ICRC later facilitated the handover to Israeli authorities at an undisclosed location.
The issue of recovering the bodies of hostages has become a key humanitarian and political challenge within U.S. President Donald Trump’s Gaza plan, which seeks to secure the release of remaining hostages and lay the groundwork for reconstruction efforts in the enclave.
An Israeli government spokesperson said on Sunday that Hamas “knows exactly where the bodies are,” but has resisted cooperation in some cases. Over the weekend, Israel allowed an Egyptian technical team to enter Gaza to assist the Red Cross in locating the remains.
The Egyptian team, equipped with excavators and trucks, has been operating beyond the so-called “yellow line”, an area of Gaza where Israeli troops have partially pulled back as part of the U.S.-backed plan.
More than 100 hostages were taken into Gaza during the initial stages of the conflict, and while several have been released or confirmed dead, dozens remain unaccounted for.
The recovery of bodies continues to be one of the most sensitive and politically charged aspects of the ongoing negotiations between Israel, Hamas, and international mediators.
Source: Reuters
Written By Rodney Mbua
