According to eyewitnesses, fighters of Hamas, a Palestinian terrorist organization, dug a hole, then took the bodies out of a nearby building, placed them at the bottom and covered them with earth. They then called the Red Cross to witness the unearthing of the remains. According to the Times of Israel, the entire incident was filmed by a military drone.
The Israel Defense Forces did not comment on these reports.
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What charges were brought against Hamas?
What was done to the hostage's body?
How many hostage bodies remain in the Gaza Strip?
How did the hostages' families react to the situation?
On Monday evening, Hamas announced that it had recovered the remains of the killed hostage and handed them over to the Red Cross, and representatives of this organization – to Israeli army soldiers in the Gaza Strip. The body was taken to the Forensic Institute in Tel Aviv for identification, the portal reported. This process may take up to two days.
It was the first time Hamas released the body in six days.
Remains of Israeli hostages still in Gaza
The ceasefire agreement with Israel obliged Hamas to return all living and dead hostages within 72 hours of October 10, when the agreement took effect. The group released all 20 hostages alive, but failed to hand over the bodies of all 28 killed hostages within the required deadline.
If the body released on Monday really belongs to the killed hostage, it means that the remains of 12 hostages remain in the Gaza Strip, the Times of Israel recalled.
As the Channel 13 television station reported on Sunday, according to Israeli intelligence, Hamas was able to locate the remains of 10 of the 13 hostages that it has not yet handed over. Among them are the bodies of Colonel Asaf Hamami and Lieutenant Hadar Goldin. The first was the commander of the Southern Brigade of the Gaza Division, the second – a soldier killed in the Gaza Strip in 2014. Israel believes that Hamas is deliberately hiding these bodies because the fallen have become symbolic figures in Israel, Channel 13 reported.
Israel has repeatedly accused Hamas of deliberately hiding bodies. The organization denies these claims.
The hostages' families want the truce to be suspended
The Forum of Families of Hostages and Missing Persons demanded on Monday that the next stages of the Gaza peace plan be postponed until Hamas returns all the bodies. “Hamas knows exactly where all the deceased hostages are being held. Two weeks have passed since the deadline set in the agreement for the transfer of all 48 hostages, and 13 remain in Hamas captivity,” the organization said.
The war between Israel and Hamas began on October 7, 2023, with an attack by the Palestinian group in southern Israel. Nearly 1,200 people were killed and 251 were kidnapped to the Gaza Strip. Since then, 158 hostages have been released, eight have been recaptured by the Israeli army and the bodies of 74 abductees have been recovered. Hamas also released two Israelis kidnapped before the attack and released the body of one soldier who had been abducted earlier.
According to local authorities in the Gaza Strip, over 68,500 people have died in the conflict so far. Palestinians. The Israeli army reports that 470 soldiers died in battle.
