Tel Aviv, Israel – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office announced Saturday that the Israeli military and the Shin Bet security service have received the remains of two more Israeli prisoners from inside the Gaza Strip. The transfer, via the International Committee of the Red Cross, brings the total number of bodies recovered by Israel to 13 out of 28 missing persons.
Official statement
An official statement issued by Netanyahu’s office explained that “the coffins of two kidnapped Israelis were handed over to the IDF and Shin Bet inside the Gaza Strip via the Red Cross. They will be transferred to the Ministry of Health’s National Forensic Center in Tel Aviv for official identification before informing the families concerned.”
They will be transferred to the Ministry of Health’s National Forensic Center in Tel Aviv for official identification before informing the families concerned.”
Earlier today, Channel 12 reported that the Red Cross had received the two bodies from Hamas.
Before later confirming that the Israeli army and the Shin Bet security service had officially received the bodies, the Palestinian movement did not issue any immediate comment on the handover.
Ceasefire between Israel and Hamas
This development comes within the framework of the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, the first phase of which entered into force on October 10. The agreement comes two years after a devastating war in the Gaza Strip. According to Palestinian reports, the war resulted in the deaths of more than 68,000 Palestinians and the injury of more than 170,000 others. It also caused the near-total destruction of the Strip’s infrastructure.
According to Palestinian reports, the war resulted in the deaths of more than 68,000 Palestinians and the injury of more than 170,000 others. It also caused the near-total destruction of the Gaza Strip’s infrastructure.
Under the agreement, Hamas released 20 living Israeli prisoners and handed over 13 bodies. It asserted that it needed more time and heavy equipment to retrieve the remaining bodies from the destroyed areas. Israel, however, claims that the remaining number is 16 bodies, after it was determined, according to it, that one of the bodies received did not belong to any of its prisoners.
In contrast, Israel says the remaining number is 16 bodies, after it was determined, according to it, that one of the bodies received did not belong to any of its prisoners.
In return, Israel released 250 Palestinian prisoners serving life sentences, the bodies of 135 Palestinians, and 1,718 detainees arrested in the Gaza Strip after October 8, 2023.
Human rights reports indicate that more than 10,000 Palestinian prisoners remain in Israeli prisons.
Among them are children and women, and they suffer from harsh humanitarian conditions, including torture, malnutrition, and medical neglect. This has led to the deaths of several of them, according to Palestinian and Israeli human rights organizations.
Efforts to implement the remaining provisions of the agreement are ongoing, amid increasing international pressure to find a final solution to the prisoner issue between the two sides. This comes amid the continuing repercussions of the war, which UN agencies have described as “the worst in Gaza’s history.”
