Israel has received a body recovered from Gaza, as confirmed by the Israeli Prime Minister’s office. The body, handed over by Hamas through the International Committee of the Red Cross, is set to be transported for identification. This development follows Hamas’ announcement that it had located the remains of a hostage previously held by Palestinian militants in Shejaia, a suburb of Gaza City.
The transfer of the body comes in the context of a ceasefire agreement that took effect on October 10, 2023. Under this agreement, Hamas released all 20 living hostages it was holding in Gaza in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian convicts and wartime detainees held by Israel. While Hamas pledged to return the remains of deceased hostages, they have stated that the extensive devastation in Gaza has complicated the recovery of bodies. Israel has accused Hamas of delaying this process.
Prior to this recent recovery, Hamas had returned 20 of the 28 bodies of hostages previously buried in Gaza. In turn, Israel has returned 270 bodies of Palestinians it has killed since the onset of hostilities in October 2023, according to health authorities in Gaza.
The conflict escalated on October 7, 2023, when Hamas-led militants conducted a cross-border attack on Israel that resulted in the deaths of approximately 1,200 people and the abduction of 251 hostages. Following this attack, Israel launched a retaliatory offensive in the Gaza Strip that has reportedly killed over 68,000 Palestinians, according to health officials in the enclave.
Despite ongoing violence, the US-brokered ceasefire has largely held, although tensions remain high. Palestinian health authorities report that Israeli forces have killed 239 people in strikes since the truce was established, with nearly half of those deaths occurring in a single day last week, when Israel retaliated against a militant attack on its troops.
On the same day that the body was received, Gaza health authorities reported an Israeli airstrike that killed a man in Jabalia, northern Gaza. In response, Israel’s military stated it had targeted a “terrorist” who had crossed into areas still occupied by Israeli forces, claiming the individual posed an imminent threat.
As recovery efforts and ceasefire negotiations continue, both sides remain entrenched in a cycle of violence and retaliatory actions, with the humanitarian situation in Gaza growing increasingly dire.
