Hamas returned bodies of three hostages to Israel on Sunday, with the International Committee of the Red Cross again acting as mediator, officials said.
Although their identities have not yet been confirmed, Hamas identified them as three Israeli soldiers. The Israeli Prime Minister's Office confirmed that the bodies have been returned and will be taken to the National Center for Forensic Medicine of the Ministry of Health for identification.
“All families of the deceased abductees have been informed and our hearts go out to them at this difficult time,” the office said. “Efforts to return our abductees are ongoing and will not stop until the last abductee is returned.”
The Israel Defense Forces urged the public to “proceed sensitively and await official identification.”
The transfer was facilitated by the Red Cross, but its team was not involved in recovering the bodies, the humanitarian organization confirmed on Sunday.
“Israeli forensic authorities are responsible for taking all possible measures to further identify the remains of the victims,” the statement said.
Last week, Hamas returned three bodies believed to be those of hostages taken on October 7, 2023. However, the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the bodies did not belong to any of the remaining prisoners.
Since the ceasefire began on October 10, the militant group has returned 17 dead hostages, but the bodies of 11 hostages are still believed to be in the Gaza Strip. Israeli officials pressed Hamas to rush the liberation, but the group blamed widespread destruction and the Israeli military presence for complicating the process.
It is one of many issues straining the fragile ceasefire brokered by the United States last month. Israel and Hamas accused each other of violating the agreement, which led to round of renewed Israeli strikes last week.
Dr. Khalil al-Dakran, a Palestinian health ministry spokesman in Gaza, told NBC News that the attacks killed more than 104 people, including more than 40 children and 20 women.
The Israeli military said the strikes came after Hamas militants attacked its soldiers in Rafah, a southern Gaza region now under Israeli control. NBC News could not independently verify this claim. Hamas denies any involvement in the attack on the soldiers.
