Israel says one body handed over by Hamas was not a hostage
One of the bodies handed over by Hamas to Israel was not that of a hostage, the Israeli army (IDF) said on Wednesday, stoking new fears over the fragile ceasefire in Gaza.
A genetic test carried out at the National Institute of Forensic Medicine showed that one of the bodies transferred Tuesday evening did not match any of the missing deceased hostages, the Israeli military said.
Israeli media suggested it could be the body of a Palestinian.
“Hamas is required to make all necessary efforts to return the deceased hostages,” the army said.
Israel says there are still 21 hostages dead in Gaza.
During a previous ceasefire in February, Hamas handed over the body of a Gazan in place of Israeli hostage Shiri Bibas, a mother who was kidnapped with her two young sons, an incident that sparked outrage in Israel. His body was returned a day later and positively identified.
Among the bodies returned Tuesday evening, that of German-Israeli soldier Tamir Nimrodi was identified, according to the Hostages and Missing Families Forum.
Nimrodi, 20, was kidnapped in the Israeli border area during the October 7, 2023 attacks that sparked the Gaza war. He had voluntarily exchanged weekend duty with another soldier and was killed by Israeli bombing during his captivity.
His mother, Herut Nimrodi, met with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in recent months to campaign for the release of the remaining hostages.
The bodies of Eitan Levy and Uriel Baruch were also part of the final return.
Under a U.S.-brokered ceasefire deal, Hamas must hand over a total of 28 bodies. The 20 hostages still alive were released on Monday after 738 days of captivity. Four of the dead were also returned that day.
Hamas cited difficulties locating remains in the rubble after two years of war in Gaza.
Israeli authorities suggested the delays could be a tactic and threatened to restrict aid and keep the Rafah border crossing with Egypt closed until all the hostages’ bodies were transferred.
