Hamas returns bodies of 3 deceased hostages to Israel
Hamas returned the bodies of three hostages to Israel on Sunday, again with the International Committee of the Red Cross serving as intermediary, officials said.
Although their identities have not yet been confirmed, Hamas described them as three Israeli soldiers. The Israeli prime minister’s office confirmed that the bodies had been returned and would be taken to the Health Ministry’s National Forensic Center for identification.
“All families of those abducted have been informed and our thoughts are with them at this difficult time,” the office said. “Efforts to return our abductees continue continuously and will not stop until the last abductee is returned. »
The Israeli military urged the public to “act with sensitivity and wait for official identification.”
The Red Cross did not immediately respond to NBC News’ request for comment Sunday.
Last week, Hamas returned three bodies believed to be those of hostages taken on October 7, 2023. But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said the bodies did not belong to any of the remaining prisoners.
The militant group has returned 17 deceased hostages since the ceasefire began on October 10, but the bodies of 11 hostages are believed to remain in Gaza. Israeli officials have pushed Hamas to speed up the releases, but the group blamed widespread devastation and the Israeli military presence for complicating the process.
It is one of many tensions straining the fragile ceasefire brokered by the United States last month. Israel and Hamas accused each other of breaking the negotiated agreement, leading to a new round of Israeli strikes last week.
Dr. Khalil Al-Daqran, a spokesman for the Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza, told NBC News that more than 104 people were killed in the attacks, including more than 40 children and 20 women.
The Israeli military said the strikes came after Hamas militants attacked its soldiers in Rafah, an area of southern Gaza currently under Israeli control. NBC News could not independently verify this claim. Hamas has denied any involvement in an attack on soldiers.
