JERUSALEM – Israeli authorities announced Wednesday that one of the bodies returned by Hamas as part of a ceasefire agreement was not that of a hostage, raising questions about the militant group’s handling of remains and complicating the sensitive exchange process.
The revelation comes as Hamas has released a total of eight bodies alongside 20 living hostages during the first phase of the truce, with families of those still missing anxiously awaiting news. While Hamas claims recovering remains has been arduous due too the extensive damage in Gaza, the discovery of a non-hostage body underscores the challenges and uncertainties surrounding the fate of those unaccounted for and casts a shadow over the ongoing negotiations for further releases. The ceasefire,brokered by qatar,Egypt,and the United states,initially involved the release of 50 hostages held in Gaza in exchange for 150 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.
Four bodies were released Monday night, and four more followed late Tuesday.Of the second group, three were identified as Uriel Baruch, Tamir Nimrodi, and Eitan Levi. Baruch was kidnapped from the Nova music festival during the Hamas-led attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, which triggered the war in Gaza. Nimrodi, who worked with the Israeli defense body overseeing humanitarian aid in Gaza, was taken from the Erez border crossing. The hostages Family Forum says Levi was kidnapped while driving a friend to Kibbutz Be’eri during the Hamas attack.
Hamas and the Red Cross have cited Gaza’s destruction as hindering the recovery of remains,and hamas has indicated some bodies are in areas under Israeli military control. Families of hostages have expressed distress over the slow pace of returning the dead.