Hostage Body Transferred to Israel Amid Ongoing Ceasefire Discussions
Recent Developments
Israel has received a coffin that Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad stated contains the body of a hostage, as confirmed by Israel's military. Hamas's armed wing reported finding the body on Friday in Khan Younis, southern Gaza. The Red Cross facilitated the transportation of the body to Israel for identification purposes.
Israel has previously expressed concern regarding the return of all bodies of deceased hostages, while Hamas has cited challenges in locating them amidst rubble.
Hostage and Prisoner Exchanges
Prior to this recent transfer, Hamas had released 20 living hostages and 22 out of 28 deceased hostages under the initial phase of a ceasefire agreement, which began on October 10. At that time, five of the remaining six deceased hostages in Gaza were identified as Israelis, and one as Thai.
As part of the same US-brokered ceasefire deal, Israel released 250 Palestinian prisoners and 1,718 detainees from Gaza. Additionally, Israel transferred the bodies of 285 Palestinians in exchange for 19 Israeli hostages and three foreign hostages (one Thai, one Nepalese, and one Tanzanian).
Ceasefire Terms and Alleged Violations
The ceasefire agreement also included provisions for increased humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, a partial withdrawal of Israeli forces, and a halt to hostilities. However, instances of violence have been reported, with both sides accusing the other of breaches.
On October 19, Israel initiated air strikes, stating that Hamas fighters had killed two of its soldiers. Another soldier was reportedly killed on October 28, prompting further Israeli military action. Hamas denied awareness of clashes related to the first incident and disclaimed connection to the second attack.
Casualty Figures
Since the implementation of the ceasefire, the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza, whose figures are regarded as reliable by the UN, has reported at least 241 fatalities from Israeli military actions.
Context of the Conflict: The Israeli military campaign in Gaza commenced in response to an attack on October 7, 2023. During this event, Hamas-led gunmen killed approximately 1,200 people in southern Israel and abducted 251 individuals. All but one of the deceased hostages still in Gaza were abducted during this attack. Since October 7, the health ministry has reported at least 68,875 people killed by Israeli attacks in Gaza.