Hamas Hands Over Another Israeli Hostage’s Body, Vows to Return Remaining Victims

Hamas delivered to Israel the body of another deceased hostage on Friday night, reiterating its pledge to return all the bodies of captives still believed to be buried beneath Gaza’s ruins after two years of devastating conflict.

According to a statement from the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office,

“Israel received, via the Red Cross, the coffin of a deceased hostage who was returned to our security forces in Gaza and will undergo identification at a medical analysis centre in Israel.”

Under a ceasefire agreement brokered by US President Donald Trump, Hamas has thus far returned all 20 surviving hostages and the remains of nine of the 28 known deceased hostages — excluding the one handed over on Friday night.

In exchange, Israel released nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and temporarily halted its military campaign in Gaza, which began following Hamas’s 7 October 2023 attack on Israel.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reaffirmed on Thursday his government’s determination to “secure the return of all hostages”, warning that the military would resume its offensive if Hamas failed to comply.

However, senior Hamas official Ghazi Hamad denounced those threats as “unacceptable pressure tactics,” adding:

“The issue of the bodies is complex and requires time, especially after the occupation changed the landscape of Gaza. We will return the bodies and adhere to the agreement as we promised.”

To support recovery operations, Turkey dispatched a specialist team to locate remains under the rubble. But the group remained stalled at the border as of Friday, awaiting Israeli permission to enter.

A Turkish official told AFP, “It remains unclear when Israel will allow the Turkish team to enter Gaza.”

Hamas sources suggested the Turkish team might be permitted entry by Sunday.

Meanwhile, Gaza’s civil defence agency — which operates under Hamas — reported that over 280 bodies have been recovered from the rubble since the ceasefire took effect.

The fragile ceasefire has brought a temporary halt to the warfare that left hostage families tormented and Gazans enduring relentless bombardments, hunger, and displacement.

The UN World Food Programme (WFP) reported that it had moved nearly 3,000 tonnes of food into Gaza since the truce began. Yet, it warned that the famine crisis would take time to reverse, urging for the reopening of all border crossings to “flood Gaza with food.”

Trump’s 20-point Gaza Plan, unveiled alongside the ceasefire, calls for expanded humanitarian access and the reopening of southern Gaza’s Rafah crossing, a key gateway for aid and trade.

UN Humanitarian Chief Tom Fletcher, who entered Gaza on Friday, said he witnessed a convoy of supplies travelling from Israel’s Kerem Shalom crossing to Rafah.

“We’ve begged for this access for months, and finally we’re seeing goods moving at scale — food, medicine, tents, fuel. A lot of fuel got in today,” he said in a video posted online.

For families of surviving hostages, the ceasefire brought long-awaited relief. Gal Gilboa Dalal, whose brother Guy Gilboa Dalal was released after two years in Hamas captivity, said: “We’ve been waiting for this for so long — two years of fighting for him every single day.”

He claimed that Hamas starved his brother and another captive for over three months to use them in propaganda videos about hunger.

“Their bones hurt, their muscles hurt. Their recovery will be very long,” he said.

At Gaza’s Nasser Hospital, families sifted through bodies returned by Israel, desperate to identify their relatives.
One father, Akram Khalid al-Manasra, said he recognised his son “by the birthmark on his nose and his teeth.”

Meanwhile, survivors like Ahmad Saleh Sbeih were still clearing the ruins of their destroyed homes.

“I’m right under the threat of death. It could collapse at any moment,” he said. “But there is no choice.”

The United Nations deems the figures from Gaza’s health ministry credible, though they do not differentiate between civilians and combatants.

The war’s toll — marked by staggering loss and grief on both sides — underscores the enduring human tragedy as diplomatic and humanitarian efforts struggle to pave a path toward peace.