According to the Israeli government, the coffins are already in the custody of the Army and the Shin Bet intelligence service and will be transferred to Israel, where there will be a military reception ceremony.
A This Sunday (2) handed over the remains of three hostages kidnapped during the attacks on October 7, 2023, the prime minister’s office reported. The victims were taken to the Gaza Strip at the start of the conflict. According to the Israeli government, the coffins are already in the custody of the Army and the Shin Bet intelligence service and will be transferred to Israel, where there will be a military reception ceremony. The remains will then be analyzed by the National Institute of Legal Medicine for identification.
Earlier, the Israeli Army confirmed that the bodies had been handed over to the Red Cross. Hamas’ armed wing, the Ezzedin al-Qassam Brigades, said it had handed over “the bodies of three captured Israeli soldiers” found in a tunnel in southern Gaza. According to Israeli authorities, 17 of the 28 bodies that should have been returned since the beginning of the truce have already been handed over.
Hamas claims that the search for bodies is “complex and difficult” due to the large-scale destruction in the territory. The successive delays in returning the bodies have caused irritation in the Israeli government, which maintains pressure on the Palestinian group to complete the pending deliveries.
*With information from AFP
