Hamas palms over stays of one other deceased Israeli hostage, IDF says

Hamas has handed over the stays of one other deceased hostage, the Israel Protection Forces mentioned.

The IDF confirmed in a social media submit early Saturday native time that the “coffin of the deceased hostage” was introduced into Israel and was being taken to Israel’s Nationwide Institute for Forensic Medication, the place the physique could be recognized.

“The IDF urges the general public to behave with sensitivity and watch for official identification, which is able to first be communicated to the households of the deceased hostages,” the IDF wrote. 

In a earlier social media submit late Friday evening, the IDF mentioned that the Crimson Cross was “on its method to the assembly level within the southern Gaza Strip, the place a coffin of a deceased hostage will probably be transferred into its custody.” 

Hamas’ armed wing, the al-Qassam Brigades, had mentioned earlier Friday that it was handing over the physique.

The announcement comes after Hamas mentioned Wednesday it had handed over all of the Israeli hostage stays in Gaza that it had been in a position to recuperate, and intensive efforts and particular tools could be required to search out the remaining our bodies.

The Gaza peace plan referred to as for Hamas to hand over all remaining hostages — 20 dwelling and 28 useless — by Monday, Oct. 13. Because the plan took impact final week, Hamas has been accused of delaying handing over the stays of Israeli hostages nonetheless believed to be within the Palestinian territory. 

Hamas has handed over the stays of not less than seven confirmed hostages because the peace deal took impact, not together with the physique handed over Friday, which nonetheless must be recognized. 

Whereas Hamas returned the 20 dwelling hostages by the Monday deadline, the stays of solely 4 deceased Israeli captives have been handed over. Hamas transferred an extra 4 our bodies on Tuesday, however the IDF mentioned certainly one of them was not a hostage. If the stays handed over on Friday are confirmed to be an Israeli hostage, which means the stays of not less than 20 hostages are nonetheless unaccounted for. 

A senior U.S. adviser informed reporters on a name Wednesday that “no one is getting left behind,” noting they imagine there are nonetheless many our bodies buried underneath the mountains of rubble throughout Gaza. Senior U.S. advisers mentioned the extent of destruction additionally makes it tough to maneuver round within the Palestinian territory. 

“It will have been virtually unattainable for Hamas to mobilize, even when they knew the place all of the 28 our bodies have been, to mobilize and get them dwelling,” one adviser mentioned Wednesday.

Strikingly, the adviser mentioned the U.S. is sharing Israeli intelligence with Hamas to help find hostage stays. The adviser additionally mentioned Turkey has supplied to assist seek for and retrieve stays by sending in skilled groups with expertise rescuing folks from the frequent earthquakes within the nation.

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz mentioned Thursday that American personnel could be a part of the hassle to recuperate the stays of the hostages which have but to be turned over.

Throughout negotiations that led to the peace deal, Hamas representatives mentioned they didn’t know the situation of all of the stays of deceased hostages, in response to Israeli media stories. President Trump additionally mentioned in Egypt on Monday that not all the our bodies of the deceased hostages had been discovered, including that unidentified events have been nonetheless “figuring out” methods to find an unspecified variety of stays.

The senior U.S. advisers who spoke to reporters on Wednesday urged endurance and mentioned they aren’t at a degree the place they really feel that the settlement has been violated, citing the difficulties in retrieving the stays nonetheless in Gaza.

Each the Israeli Hostages and Lacking Households Discussion board, the group that represents the hostage households, and Israeli Protection Minister Israel Katz have beforehand mentioned your entire peace deal must be shelved till all the hostages’ stays are returned by Hamas.