Israel has announced that the remains of three hostages have been handed over from Gaza and would be examined by forensic experts, as a fragile month-old ceasefire holds.
A Hamas statement earlier said the remains were found on Sunday in a tunnel in southern Gaza.
Since the ceasefire took effect on 10 October, Palestinian militants had released the remains of 17 hostages – with 11 still in Gaza – before Sunday’s handover. The bodies of eight hostages remain in Gaza.
Militants have released one or two bodies every few days. Israel has urged faster progress, and in certain cases has said the remains were not of any hostage. Hamas has said the work is complicated because of widespread devastation in Gaza.
Israel’s military said official identification of these remains would be provided to families first.
The families of the hostages continue to rally every week. On Saturday night, Moran Harari, a friend of the late Carmel Gat, urged Israel to have restraint.
“This cursed war has taken so many lives of dear people on both sides of the fence. This time, we must not fall into it again,” Harari said during a rally in Jerusalem.
Israel has been releasing the remains of 15 Palestinians for the return of the remains of one Israeli hostage.
Health officials in Gaza have struggled to identify bodies without access to DNA kits. Only 75 of the 225 Palestinian bodies returned since the ceasefire began have been identified, according to Gaza’s health ministry, which has posted photos of remains in the hope families will recognise them.
It is unclear if the Palestinians returned were killed in Israel during the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023 that sparked the war, died in Israeli custody as detainees or were recovered from Gaza by troops during the war.
The exchange has been the central part of the initial phase of the US-brokered ceasefire. The 20-point plan includes the formation of an international stabilisation force of Arab and other partners that would work with Egypt and Jordan on securing Gaza’s borders and ensure the ceasefire is respected.
Numerous countries have shown interest in taking part in a peacekeeping force but have called for a clear UN security council mandate before committing troops.
Other difficult questions include Hamas’s disarmament and the governance of a post-conflict Gaza, as well as when and how humanitarian aid will be increased.
Israel’s prime minister said earlier on Sunday that “there are still pockets of Hamas” in parts of Gaza controlled by Israeli forces. “There are actually two in Rafah and Khan Younis, and they will be eliminated,” Benjamin Netanyahu said during a cabinet meeting.
The deadliest and most destructive war ever fought between Israel and Hamas began with the Hamas-led 2023 attack that killed about 1,200 people and took 251 people hostage.
Israel’s military offensive has killed more than 68,600 Palestinians in Gaza, according to Gaza’s health ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants.
The ministry, part of the Hamas-run government and staffed by medical professionals, maintains detailed records viewed as generally reliable by independent experts.
Israel, which has denied accusations by a UN commission of inquiry and others of committing genocide in Gaza, has disputed the ministry’s figures without providing a contradicting toll.
