Latest remains returned from Gaza are not bodies of hostages, Israel says
JERUSALEM (AP) — The remains of three people handed over by Hamas to the Red Cross this week do not belong to any of the hostages, Israel said Saturday, the latest setback that could undermine a U.S.-brokered ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war.
The handover followed Israel’s return on Friday of the bodies of 30 Palestinians to Gaza. That completed an exchange after militants earlier this week turned over remains of two hostages, a sign that the tense Israel-Hamas ceasefire agreement was edging forward.
The unidentified remains of the three people were returned late Friday to Israel, where they were being examined overnight. At the time, a military official warned that Israeli intelligence suggested they did not belong to any of the hostages taken by Palestinian militants during the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel that sparked the war. The Israeli official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office on Saturday confirmed that the remains did not belong to any of the hostages, without giving further details.
Hamas' armed wing said in a subsequent statement that it had offered to hand over samples on Friday of unidentified bodies, but that Israel had refused to receive them and asked for the remains for examination.
“We handed the bodies over to stop the claims of Israel," the statement said.
It was unclear who the remains belonged to.
But the process of returning the bodies of the last 11 remaining hostages, as called for under the truce deal, is progressing slowly, with militants releasing just one or two bodies every few days.
Source: Latest remains returned from Gaza are not bodies of hostages, Israel says
Comments