Hamas's armed wing announced it recovered the body of an Israeli soldier in the Shejaiya area and subsequently delivered a coffin to the Red Cross, stating it contained the body of a deceased hostage. This transfer took place in northern Gaza, within territory controlled by Israeli forces, following Israel's permission for Hamas members and Red Cross staff to search for remains. The contents of the coffin are expected to be transferred to Israeli forces for identification at the National Centre of Foreign Medicine in Tel Aviv.
Hostage Recovery and Ceasefire Agreement
Hamas's armed wing previously reported recovering the body of an Israeli soldier in the eastern Shejaiya neighborhood of Gaza City on Tuesday. The Israeli military confirmed the handover of the coffin by Hamas to the Red Cross.
The Israeli government has accused Hamas of intentionally delaying the recovery of deceased hostages since a ceasefire deal came into effect over three weeks ago. Hamas has stated that locating bodies under rubble presents difficulties.
A US-brokered ceasefire deal, effective October 10, stipulated that Hamas would return 20 living and 28 deceased hostages within 72 hours. On October 13, all living Israeli hostages were released. This exchange involved the release of 250 Palestinian prisoners and 1,718 detainees from Gaza.
Before Tuesday's handover, Israel had returned the bodies of 270 Palestinians. In exchange, Hamas had returned the bodies of 18 Israeli hostages and two foreign hostages (one Thai, one Nepalese).
Prior to Tuesday, six of the remaining eight deceased hostages in Gaza were identified as Israeli, one Tanzanian, and one Thai. All but one of the deceased hostages still in Gaza were among the 251 individuals abducted during the attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023. Approximately 1,200 people were killed during this attack.
Escalation and Casualties
Israel responded to the October 7 attack by launching a military campaign in Gaza. According to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry, this campaign has resulted in more than 68,800 fatalities.
Earlier on Tuesday, a hospital official in Gaza City reported that a man was killed by Israeli fire in the Jabalia area of northern Gaza. The Israeli military stated that its troops killed an individual described as a "terrorist" who had crossed the "Yellow Line," which demarcates Israeli-controlled territory, and posed a threat to them.