Hamas hands over apparent remains of two dead hostages to Israel

Hamas handed over the apparent remains of two deceased hostages to the Red Cross on Thursday afternoon, with the bodies then transferred to Israeli authorities, who were working to confirm the identity, the Times of Israel reported.

It potentially marked the first time Hamas handed over bodies of hostages in nine days, as Israel insists that Hamas is stalling the requirements of the ceasefire that came into place on October 10.

On Monday night, Hamas handed over what it said were the bodies of one of the 13 slain hostages, who were still held in Gaza. It was later discovered by Israel to be the partial remains of a hostage who was recovered by Israeli troops in December 2023, according to the Times of Israel.

The agreement required Hamas to return all remaining 48 living and deceased hostages within 72 hours. While the group followed through in handing over all 20 living hostages, it only returned four of the 28 bodies still held in Gaza within the required timeframe. It has since returned another 11 bodies, not including Thursday’s, which have not yet been identified.

If the bodies are confirmed to belong to hostages, it would mean that the remains of 11 dead hostages are still held in Gaza.

Israel has accused Hamas of multiple violations of the deal and purposely stalling and staging fake discoveries of bodies.

Hamas on Tuesday claimed to have “retrieved” the bodies of two hostages from a tunnel in southern Gaza and in the Strip’s center.

Initially, Hamas said it planned to hand over one body on Tuesday at 8 p.m., but later said it was postponing the transfer due to Israel’s own “violations” of the ceasefire.