Israel announced on Sunday that the remains of three hostages had been returned from Gaza, where they will now undergo forensic examination. The transfer took place as a fragile month-long ceasefire continues to hold, offering a cautious sense of relief amid lingering grief.
According to a Hamas statement, the remains were recovered earlier in the day from a tunnel in southern Gaza. Since the ceasefire began on October 10, militants have turned over the remains of 17 hostages, with 11 still believed to be held in Gaza. Bodies have been released gradually, often one or two at a time, in what Israel describes as an unbearably slow process.
Israel’s military said families would be notified first once formal identification is complete. The painstaking exchanges have stirred strong emotions among families of the missing, many of whom continue to gather weekly to demand progress. At a rally in Jerusalem on Saturday, Moran Harari, a friend of slain hostage Carmel Gat, appealed for calm: “This war has already cost too many lives on both sides. We must not let it happen again.”
Israel has also been releasing the remains of Palestinian victims in exchange for the return of Israeli hostages. According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, only 75 of the 225 Palestinian bodies returned since the ceasefire began have been identified, as officials struggle with limited DNA testing capacity.
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