Israel receives remains said to be of deceased hostage held in Gaza
Red Cross vehicles drive through Gaza City before returning what was said to be the body of a deceased hostage held by Hamas to Israel on Tuesday.
By Christian Edwards, Dana Karni, CNN
(CNN) — Israel on Tuesday received what Hamas said are the remains of another deceased hostage held in Gaza, as part of the US-brokered ceasefire deal that came into effect last month.
After receiving the coffin via the Red Cross in Gaza, Israel said the remains would now be taken to the country’s national forensics laboratory for identification. If confirmed, that would leave the bodies of seven deceased hostages remaining in Gaza.
The latest transfer comes after Hamas handed over the bodies of three deceased hostages on Sunday. US President Donald Trump confirmed one of them was Omer Neutra, an Israeli-American dual national killed in the initial Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023.
Last Thursday, Hamas released the remains of two other hostages, identified as Amiram Cooper, 84, and Sahar Baruch, 25.
The solidity of the Trump-brokered ceasefire had previously been tested after Hamas said it handed over the remains of three deceased individuals on October 28, but Israeli authorities were unable to identify them as belonging to any of the hostages.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Hamas was resorting to “pathetic attempts to deceive us, the United States, and the world” and instructed the military to carry out “immediate, powerful strikes” in Gaza. Those strikes killed at least 104 Palestinians, including dozens of children, in what was the deadliest day since the beginning of the ceasefire.
Since then, however, the releases of the remains of hostages have proceeded as planned, and the ceasefire has largely held. In an interview with “60 Minutes” that aired Sunday, Trump said the ceasefire he helped broker is “not fragile” and was “very solid,” warning that “Hamas could be taken out immediately if they don’t behave.”
Meanwhile, Israel has been rocked by a scandal surrounding Maj. Gen. Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi, the military’s top lawyer tasked with enforcing the rule of law within the armed forces. She has been placed under arrest as part of a criminal investigation into the leak of a video showing the alleged abuse, including sexual abuse, of Palestinian detainees in Israel’s notorious Sde Teiman military prison.
The video was first aired by Israel’s Channel 12 in August 2024. In May of that year, CNN spoke to three whistleblowers who detailed allegations of abuse at the prison. A month later, Israel said it would begin phasing out the facility.
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