On Tuesday, Hamas handed over four bodies to alleviate pressure on the ceasefire, following the transfer of another four on Monday. This occurred just hours after the release of the last 20 living hostages. As of now, Israel is still awaiting the return of the bodies of 28 deceased hostages.
The Israeli military announced on Wednesday that one of the bodies received from Hamas the previous day does not belong to any of the hostages held in Gaza, heightening tensions surrounding the fragile truce in the ongoing two-year conflict.
In conjunction with the body transfers, Israel released approximately 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees on Monday and is also returning the remains of Palestinians as part of the agreement, a move that many families in Gaza have been eagerly anticipating for their missing relatives.
Following examinations at the National Institute of Forensic Medicine, the military confirmed that the fourth body handed over by Hamas does not correspond to any known hostages, though details about the identity of the body have not been disclosed.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated on Wednesday that Hamas must adhere to the terms of the ceasefire agreement, which was brokered by U.S. President Donald Trump, regarding the return of the hostages’ bodies.
“We will not compromise on this and will not cease our efforts until we recover the last deceased hostage,” Netanyahu stated.
The U.S.-proposed ceasefire plan had stipulated that all hostages—both living and deceased—be returned by a deadline that passed on Monday. If this did not occur, Hamas was expected to provide information about the deceased hostages and make efforts to return them as soon as possible. This is not the first instance of Hamas mistakenly returning the wrong body to Israel; a similar situation occurred earlier this year during a previous ceasefire.