Hamas To Return 2 More Bodies of Israeli Hostages Under Ongoing Deal
Hamas made an unexpected announcement Saturday that it would release the bodies of two additional hostages killed in captivity, bringing the total to 12 returned since the beginning of the cease-fire deal.
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum confirmed that one of the bodies identified was Eliyahu “Churchill” Margalit, a civilian abducted from Kibbutz Nir Oz. His relatives expressed gratitude for public support and vowed to continue advocating for the return of all captives. “We promise not to stop or rest until every last hostage is brought to burial in Israel,” the family said.
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Israeli authorities said the latest announcement came with no prior coordination between the sides. Earlier Saturday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt to remain closed until further notice, saying it would be reevaluated only if Hamas returns the remains of all hostages, as agreed.
According to Israeli officials, 20 living hostages have so far been freed from Gaza, along with the remains of 10 others. Eighteen more bodies are believed to remain in the Gaza Strip, including Col. Asaf Hamami, Capt. Omer Neutra, Lt. Hadar Goldin, Staff Sgt. Itay Chen, Sgt. Maj. Ran Gvili, Sgt. Oz Daniel, and several foreign nationals from Thailand and Tanzania.
