The remains of a Gaza hostage have been handed over and are now in Israel, the military said Tuesday, in the latest sign of progress under the US-brokered ceasefire.
Before the announcement, Hamas had returned the remains of 20 hostages to Israel under the ceasefire that began on October 10. If the latest remains are confirmed during forensic testing, that would leave another seven bodies still in Gaza.
The ceasefire aims to end the deadliest and most destructive war ever fought between Israel and the Palestinian militant group.
Hamas’s military wing said early Tuesday that it had recovered the body of an Israeli soldier in Gaza and intended to hand over the remains. Israel’s statement did not indicate whether the remains were that of a soldier.
Militants in Gaza have released one to three bodies every few days. Israel has pushed to speed up returns and in some cases has said the remains were not those of hostages. Hamas has said the work is complicated by widespread devastation.
For every hostage returned, Israel has been releasing the remains of 15 Palestinians. The bodies of 270 Palestinians have so far been handed over under the current ceasefire. Less than half have been identified. Forensic work is complicated by the lack of DNA testing kits in Gaza. The Ministry of Health posts photos of the remains online, hoping families will recognize them.
The war was triggered by the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, which killed about 1,200 people and took 251 hostage, according to Israeli counts.
Israel responded with a wide-ranging military offensive that has killed more than 68,800 Palestinians in Gaza, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
Israel, which has denied accusations by a UN commission of inquiry and others that it committed genocide in Gaza, has disputed the ministry’s figures without providing a contradictory balance sheet.
