Hamas Hands Over Remains of Two Israeli Hostages Under Ceasefire Deal

Gaza, MINA – The Palestinian group Hamas handed over the remains of two Israeli hostages to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) late Thursday as part of a ceasefire agreement, the Israeli occupation army confirmed, Anadolu Agency reported.

According to a military statement, the Red Cross transferred the coffins to Israeli authorities, and the bodies were taken to the Institute of Forensic Medicine in Tel Aviv for examination. The Prime Minister’s Office later confirmed that the remains belonged to hostages Amiram Cooper and Sahar Baruch, and said their families had been notified.

The handover followed Israel’s deadly airstrikes earlier in the week that killed more than 100 Palestinians across the Gaza Strip, despite the ongoing ceasefire.

Since the truce took effect on October 10, under a US-backed peace deal between Israel and Hamas, the Palestinian group has released 20 Israeli captives alive and handed over the remains of several others, most of them Israeli. Israel, however, claimed that one of the recovered bodies did not match any of its listed hostages.

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According to the Gaza Health Ministry, Israeli forces have killed 211 Palestinians and injured 597 others since the ceasefire began.

Israel has linked the start of negotiations for the second phase of the ceasefire to the full handover of all hostage remains. Hamas, meanwhile, said the process would take time due to the widespread destruction in Gaza.

The first phase of the deal includes the release of Israeli hostages in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners, as well as plans for rebuilding Gaza and establishing a new governing mechanism that excludes Hamas.

Israel’s attacks since October 2023 have killed more than 68,500 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injured over 170,600 others, according to health officials in Gaza.[]

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Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)