Hamas handed over four of the 28 dead hostage bodies. Israel has already verified the identities while families demand the return of the remaining remains.
Israel officially identified the bodies of two hostages handed over by Hamas: Guy Illouz and Bipin Joshi. The other two remaining, which according to Hamas correspond to Yossi Sharabi and Daniel Peretz, have not yet been verified by the Israeli authorities, and their official identification remains pending within the peace plan.
The bodies were analyzed by the National Institute of Forensic Medicine, in collaboration with the Israel Police and the Military Rabbinate. The results were communicated to the families of Guy Illouz and Bipin Joshi so that they can organize their burial.
The identification process includes DNA tests, comparisons with samples from relatives and analysis of remains, considering that in war contexts the bodies may be fragmented or contaminated, which complicates verification.
Partial surrender of Hamas
The ceasefire between Israel and Hamas contemplated the return of 28 bodies of deceased hostages. So far, only four have been delivered, according to Hamas. Israel requests that the agreement be fulfilled and that the remaining 24 remains be located, identified and returned to their families.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) warned that recovering the bodies is an “enormous challenge” due to the rubble and damage in Gaza.
Hamas also freed the last living Israeli hostages, while Israel transferred Palestinian detainees to their homes and US President Donald Trump declared an end to the two-year war. ICRC spokesman Christian Cardon said the operation could take days or weeks, and there is a possibility that some bodies may never be found.
Cardon highlighted the importance of prioritizing the location and delivery of the remains: “I think there is clearly a risk that this will take much longer. What we say to the parties is that this should be their top priority.” No further details were provided about the whereabouts of the deceased hostages, due to the delicacy of the operation.
News in development.-
Source: Ambito
