İçerik Haritası
Israel on Sunday announced that the remains of three hostages had been handed over from Gaza and would be examined by forensic experts, as a fragile month-old ceasefire held.
An earlier Hamas statement said the remains were found Sunday in a tunnel in southern Gaza.
Since the ceasefire took effect on 10 October, Palestinian militants had released the remains of 17 hostages, with 11 remaining in Gaza, before Sunday’s handover.
Israel’s military said official identification of these remains would be provided to families first.
Later on Sunday, US President Donald Trump said that among the hostages that Hamas had returned were the remains of an American-Israeli national named Omer Neutra.
Neutra was a tank platoon leader in the Israel Defense Forces, and the president claimed to have had conversations with his family.
Israeli officials have said they believed Neutra, a Long Island, New York native, was killed in the 7 October 2023, Hamas-led attack on southern Israel that sparked the war.
“They were thrilled, in one sense, but in another sense, obviously, it’s not too great,” Trump said of Neutra’s parents.
Hamas has released one or two bodies every few days
Militants have released one or two bodies every few days. Israel has urged faster progress, and in certain cases, it has said the remains aren’t of any hostage. Hamas has said the work is complicated by widespread devastation.
Emotions around the remains have been high among families, who continue to rally weekly. On Saturday night, Moran Harari, a friend of the late Carmel Gat, urged Israel to show restraint.
“This cursed war has taken so many lives of dear ones on both sides of the fence. This time, we must not fall into it again,” Harari said during a rally in Jerusalem.
Israel, in turn, has been releasing the remains of 15 Palestinians for the return of the remains of an Israeli hostage.
Health officials in Gaza have struggled to identify bodies without access to DNA kits. Only 75 of the 225 Palestinian bodies returned since the ceasefire began have been identified, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which has posted photos of remains in the hope that families will recognise them.
The exchange has been central to the initial phase of the US-brokered ceasefire. The 20-point plan includes the formation of an international stabilisation force of Arab and other partners that would work with Egypt and Jordan on securing Gaza’s borders and ensuring the ceasefire is respected.
Multiple nations have shown interest in taking part in a peacekeeping force but called for a clear UN Security Council mandate before committing troops.
Other difficult questions include Hamas’ disarmament and the governance of a postwar Gaza, as well as when and how humanitarian aid will be increased.
According to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, “there are still pockets of Hamas” in areas of Gaza under Israeli military control early on Sunday.
“There are actually two in Rafah and Khan Younis, and they will be eliminated,” Netanyahu said during a Cabinet meeting.
Quoted from Euronews.
