The terror group Hamas returned what it said were three bodies of hostages to Israel on Sunday.
Hamas militants gave the remains, which it said were the bodies of three Israeli soldiers, over to the Red Cross, which brought them into Israel. The prime minister’s office said that the remains would be taken to the Ministry of Health’s National Center for Forensic Medicine for identification.
“All of the hostages’ families have been updated accordingly, and our hearts are with them in this difficult hour. The effort to return our hostages is ongoing and will not cease until the last hostage is returned,” the prime minister’s office said in a statement. “The public is requested to respect the families’ privacy and to refrain from spreading rumors and unofficial and unverified information.”
The hostage release comes just days after the terror group claimed to have found the remains of three other hostages that it turned over to the Red Cross. Forensic testing conducted on the bodies confirmed that none of the remains belonged to any of the hostages remaining in Gaza, however.
Hamas and Israel struck a ceasefire agreement last month in which Israel agreed to pull back forces from inner Gaza and Hamas agreed to turn over all of its hostages back to Israel, 20 living and 28 dead. While the living were returned, the terror group has returned just 16 of the dead. If the three bodies turned over on Sunday are confirmed, eight more will be left for Hamas to hand over.
Hamas has claimed that it needs time to find the bodies of hostages, which it has said have been buried in some cases below rubble. Drone footage released last week showed Hamas militants burying remains that were soon dug up again and handed over to the Red Cross.
Israel has accused the terror group of being in breach of the ceasefire agreement for failing to return the hostages. Israel has also conducted strikes within Gaza twice since the ceasefire went into place in retaliation for attacks that have killed several Israeli soldiers.
The Trump administration, which mediated the ceasefire and potential peace proposal between Israel and Hamas, has tamped down concerns that the tit-for-tat strikes will threaten the ceasefire.
“The president achieved a historic peace in the Middle East, the ceasefire is holding. That doesn’t mean that there aren’t going to be little skirmishes here and there,” Vice President JD Vance said last week. “We know that Hamas, or somebody else within Gaza, attacked an IDF soldier. We expect the Israelis are going to respond, but I think the president’s peace is going to hold despite it.”
