Hamas has handed over the stays of one other deceased hostage, the Israel Protection Forces stated.
The IDF confirmed in a social media publish 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 Related Press reported on Saturday morning that the stays had been recognized as these of Eliyahu Margalit, 76, citing Israel’s Prime Minister’s Workplace. Margalit had been kidnapped from the horse stables the place he labored in Kibbutz Nir Oz.
In a previous social media publish late Friday night time, the IDF stated that the Pink Cross was “on its strategy to the assembly level within the southern Gaza Strip, the place a coffin of a deceased hostage can be transferred into its custody.”
Hamas’ armed wing, the al-Qassam Brigades, had stated earlier Friday that it was handing over the physique.
The announcement comes after Hamas stated Wednesday it had handed over all the Israeli hostage remains in Gaza that it had been capable of recuperate, and intensive efforts and particular gear could be required to seek out the remaining our bodies.
The Gaza peace plan known as for Hamas to hand over all remaining hostages — 20 dwelling and 28 lifeless — 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 eight confirmed hostages because the peace deal took impact, together with Margalit’s stays.
Chris McGrath / Getty Photos
Whereas Hamas returned the 20 living hostages by the Monday deadline, the stays of solely 4 deceased Israeli captives had been handed over. Hamas transferred a further 4 our bodies on Tuesday, however the IDF said one of them was not a hostage. The stays of not less than 20 hostages are nonetheless unaccounted for.
A senior U.S. adviser instructed 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 stated the extent of destruction additionally makes it troublesome to maneuver round within the Palestinian territory.
“It could have been virtually unimaginable for Hamas to mobilize, even when they knew the place all of the 28 our bodies had been, to mobilize and get them dwelling,” one adviser stated Wednesday.
Strikingly, the adviser stated the U.S. is sharing Israeli intelligence with Hamas to help to find hostage stays. The adviser additionally stated Turkey has provided 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 stated Thursday that American personnel would be part of the effort to recuperate the stays of the hostages which have but to be turned over.
Throughout negotiations that led to the peace deal, Hamas representatives stated they didn’t know the situation of all of the stays of deceased hostages, in keeping with Israeli media experiences. President Trump additionally stated in Egypt on Monday that not the entire our bodies of the deceased hostages had been discovered, including that unidentified events had been nonetheless “understanding” the right way to find an unspecified variety of stays.
The senior U.S. advisers who spoke to reporters on Wednesday urged endurance and stated they don’t seem to be at some extent 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 stated all the peace deal needs to be shelved till the entire hostages’ stays are returned by Hamas.
