Teams recover remains of Israeli hostages

Search teams using heavy machinery in Khan Younis are working to recover remains believed to be those of Israeli hostages reportedly killed after their capture in the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack, officials said. Thirteen deceased hostages are thought to remain in Gaza amid extensive rubble from the conflict, while Israel says fewer than 20 bodies overall are still unrecovered. Under a U.S.-brokered ceasefire, Hamas agreed to hand over all remains of hostages; so far it has returned a fraction, with the International Committee of the Red Cross describing recovery as “massive” and hampered by collapsed buildings, unexploded ordnance, damaged communications and limited access for heavy equipment.

Egypt dispatched teams with excavators and bulldozers to assist Red Cross efforts to clear debris and extract remains from trenches and tunnel systems in southern Gaza. Hamas reported locating one set of remains and pledged to transfer it when conditions permit, but warned that many sites are inaccessible. Israeli authorities said they received a coffin from Gaza for formal identification at the National Institute of Forensic Medicine in Tel Aviv; if confirmed as a hostage, it would bring the number of returned deceased in the ceasefire exchange to 16 of 28. One earlier-received body was later identified as a Palestinian civilian, which Hamas said was a misidentification.

Gaza’s Health Ministry reported that 41 bodies handed over by Israel as part of the ceasefire were buried without family identification due to severe mutilation and disfigurement while in captivity. The scale of destruction means some remains may never be found, the ICRC warned. Israeli intelligence and officials maintain that Hamas knows the locations of some missing bodies and pressed for an accelerated search to bring closure to families; public anger in Israel has fueled frequent demonstrations demanding the return of remaining remains.

U.S. mediators have received assurances from Hamas, via third parties, that efforts will continue to locate and return bodies, though U.S. officials declined to predict a timeline. Israeli and U.S. leaders have linked full compliance with the ceasefire to broader disarmament and accountability demands, with calls for potential resumption of military action should Hamas fail to meet obligations. Despite intermittent incidents—including Israeli strikes after the deaths of two soldiers—the ceasefire has mostly held, allowing humanitarian operations and enabling many Palestinians to return amid widespread destruction. Uncertainty persists about post-war governance and security in Gaza, where Hamas has moved to reassert control in areas vacated by Israeli forces.