Hamas returns remains of three more people to Israel, Red Cross says

Published connected 01/11/2025 - 10:51 GMT+1 •Updated 14:08

The Red Cross says it has transferred nan remains of 3 unidentified group to Israel precocious connected Friday, which are still being examined by Israeli forensic experts. An Israeli subject charismatic they whitethorn not beryllium nan bodies of nan missing hostages.

The source, who said to nan Associated Press connected information of anonymity because they weren't authorised to speak to nan media, said nan remains had earlier been turned complete to nan Red Cross by Hamas successful Gaza.

The handover follows Israel's return of nan bodies of 30 Palestinians to authorities successful Gaza connected Friday. That completed an speech aft militants turned complete remains of 2 hostages, successful a motion that nan tense Israel-Hamas ceasefire statement is edging forward, though incrementally.

The speech came contempt Israeli strikes connected Gaza this week that killed much than 100 Palestinians. Israeli officials opportunity nan aerial attacks connected nan enclave were carried aft an Israeli soldier, stationed successful Gaza, was killed successful clashes and skirmishes.

The bodies were besides transferred pinch nan Red Cross serving arsenic intermediary. The return of nan Palestinian remains was confirmed by a expert astatine Nasser Hospital successful nan confederate metropolis of Khan Younis, wherever aesculapian workers were scrambling to place them.

Photos showed nan Palestinians’ remains, successful achromatic assemblage bags, arranged successful rows wrong nan grounds of Nasser Hospital. Health officials successful Gaza person struggled to place bodies arsenic they deficiency entree to DNA kits.

The handover brings nan number of Palestinian bodies returned by Israel to 225 since a vulnerable US-brokered ceasefire came into unit connected 10 October. Only 75 of those bodies person been identified by families, according to nan Gaza Health Ministry.

It is unclear if those returned were killed successful Israel during nan Hamas-led 7 October 2023 attacks, died successful Israeli custody arsenic detainees aliases were recovered from Gaza by troops during nan war.

The bodies returned had been “torn isolated and exhumed,” Munir al-Bursh, head wide of Gaza’s Health Ministry, said successful a station connected societal media.

“Their soma had melted, their faces erased by fire, leaving down only bones and teeth,” he added.

The Israeli subject has antecedently claimed that each bodies returned truthful acold are those of Hamas combatants. The subject has said it operates successful accordance pinch world law. Families of nan bodies which person been identified nevertheless declare they were not.

Hamas has now returned each 20 surviving hostages, successful summation to nan remains of 17 deceased ones since nan commencement of nan ceasefire. 11 others still successful Gaza and are required to beryllium turned complete nether nan position of nan agreement, based connected US President Donald Trump’s proposal.

Israel said 9 bodies of nan remaining deceased hostages are Israeli nationals, while nan different 2 were workers from Thailand and Tanzania.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has many times threatened to resume nan fighting if nan bodies are not returned quickly. Hamas was required to present each remaining hostages, surviving and deceased, connected Monday 13 October.

The Gaza-based group nevertheless stated that it will return clip arsenic astir of nan hostages’ remains are buried nether dense rubble and require extended excavation efforts.

The group has besides pleaded for dense machinery connected galore occasions to beryllium capable to retrieve nan bodies and move them over, but Israel has refused to supply specified equipment.

Hamas has besides accused Israel of complete 50 violations of nan truce truthful far, ranging from opening occurrence connected Palestinians, sponsoring equipped rebels to incite chaos and limiting aid, and person called connected nan world organization to guarantee Israel abides by nan position of nan agreement.