JERUSALEM (BN24) — Hamas handed over the remains of two additional Israeli hostages to the International Committee of the Red Cross in Gaza on Saturday night, Israeli authorities said, marking the latest transfer under the ongoing ceasefire and hostage exchange agreement.
According to the Israeli military, the handover took place around 11 p.m. local time. The bodies were transferred to Red Cross personnel before being transported to Israeli forces inside the enclave. Neither Hamas nor Israel immediately identified which of the 18 remaining slain hostages were among the two returned, The Times of Israel reported.
The transfer represents the 11th and 12th sets of remains returned to Israel since the Oct. 3 Gaza peace treaty, which led to the release of 20 living hostages and set terms for the return of deceased captives as part of a broader ceasefire framework.
The armed wing of Hamas, the Qassam Brigades, said it recovered the bodies of the two Israeli captives in Gaza and handed them over to Red Cross representatives as part of the deal. Coffins carrying the remains were transported through Gaza for delivery to Israeli forces.
On Friday night, Hamas returned the body of 76-year-old Eliyahu Margalit, who was kidnapped from his farm while tending to his horses during the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on southern Israel. His remains were among those identified by Israeli authorities as part of the ongoing repatriation effort.
As part of the ceasefire arrangement, Israel also returned the bodies of 15 Palestinians detained during the conflict. The total number of Palestinian bodies returned to Gaza under the deal now stands at 135. Local authorities and human rights monitors said many of the bodies bore signs of torture or execution, though Israel has not commented on the allegations.
The Israeli military confirmed that Red Cross officials received the two coffins containing the remains of Israeli hostages in Gaza before transferring them to Israeli custody.
The ceasefire and hostage exchange deal, brokered with international mediation, remains fragile as negotiations continue over the fate of the remaining hostages and the implementation of further phases of the agreement.
