Israel Receives Unidentified Remains From Gaza Under Ceasefire Agreement
Israeli authorities began forensic tests on Tuesday after receiving human remains from Gaza through the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), part of the ongoing exchange process tied to the current ceasefire arrangement. The handover took place at the Erez crossing, where Red Cross personnel transferred what officials described as small fragments believed to be connected to one of the remaining hostages. The remains were recovered in Beit Lahiya in northern Gaza.
The Prime Minister’s Office said the material was delivered under the terms of the Gaza truce, which requires Hamas to return the bodies of 28 deceased hostages in addition to the 20 living captives already freed. The living hostages were released earlier in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners. Israeli officials say progress on repatriating bodies has been slow, with Hamas attributing delays to the scale of destruction across Gaza.
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A senior ICRC representative told Israeli media that the handover involved “small remains, pieces” of human tissue. After a brief ceremony led by a military rabbi, the remains were taken to the Ministry of Health’s National Center for Forensic Medicine, where experts are now working to determine identity and cause of death. The Prime Minister’s Office stated, “At the end of the identification process, and in accordance with the findings, an official notification will be delivered to the family.”
The last known bodies held in Gaza were those of Master Sgt. Ran Gvili and Thai national Sudthisak Rinthalak. Separately, a Hamas official said members of the al-Qassam Brigades and Islamic Jihad’s al-Quds Brigades were attempting to locate another Israeli hostage’s body in northern Gaza, describing the search as constrained by scarce equipment.
