More remains of Israeli hostages were handed over by Hamas on Tuesday, as part of a U.S.-brokered deal aimed at keeping peace in Gaza, Israeli authorities said.
Four coffins of deceased hostages were transferred to the Red Cross and are on their way to the Israel Defense Forces and Israel Security Agency in the Gaza Strip, according to a joint statement from the IDF and ISA, citing information provided by the Red Cross.
“Hamas is required to uphold the agreement and take the necessary steps to return the hostages,” the statement reads.
The IDF said that once officially confirmed, the identities of the deceased hostages will first be provided to the families of the victims before being released to the public.
The return of the hostages is a cornerstone of the Gaza peace plan, which called for Hamas to hand over all remaining hostages – 20 living and 28 dead – by Monday, Oct. 13.
While Hamas returned the 20 living hostages by the Monday deadline, the remains of only four deceased Israeli captives were handed over on Monday. With those being handed over Tuesday, Hamas will have now released the remains of eight deceased hostages to Israel.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said in a social media post on Monday that Hamas’ return of only four bodies constituted “a violation of the agreement” and added that “any delay or deliberate avoidance will be considered a gross violation of the agreement and will be responded to accordingly.”
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During negotiations that led to the deal, Hamas representatives said they did not know the location of all the remains of deceased hostages, according to Israeli media reports. President Trump also said in Egypt on Monday that not all of the bodies of the deceased hostages had been found, adding that unidentified parties were still “working out” how to locate an unspecified number of remains.
Gal Hirsch, the Hostage and Missing Persons Coordinator for the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office, told CBS News last week that an international team would be established to locate missing hostages in Gaza, but details as to who will form that team and when it might begin its work remained unconfirmed on Tuesday.
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum, which represents Israeli hostage families, has voiced anger that all of the bodies have not been returned and called on the U.S. to leave “no stone unturned in demanding that Hamas fulfil their end of the agreement and bring all of the remaining hostages home.”
In exchange for Israeli hostages, the peace deal stipulated that Israel release nearly 2,000 Palestinian detainees and prisoners held by Israel. It also called for a surge of humanitarian aid to Gaza, and a partial pullback by Israeli forces from the Palestinian territory’s main cities – which happened on Friday and kicked off a three-day window for the return of Israeli hostages.
