Israel has confirmed that one of the four bodies handed over by Hamas on Tuesday night is not a missing hostage, following forensic examinations at the National Institute of Forensic Medicine in Tel Aviv. The Israeli military stated that the body “does not match any of the hostages” and demanded that Hamas “make all necessary efforts to return the deceased hostages.” The handover came after the Israeli government threatened to halve aid flows into Gaza, amid ongoing ceasefire negotiations.
Meanwhile, officials at the Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis reported that the 45 Palestinian bodies received from Israel arrived with their hands and legs cuffed. Some were blindfolded, bore signs of gunshot wounds, or appeared to have been run over by tanks, according to the hospital. The Palestinian Center for the Missing and Forcibly Disappeared Persons has called on Israel to provide full details on the identities and circumstances of the deaths.
Three of the returned Israeli bodies were identified as Staff Sgt Tamir Nimrodi, 18, Uriel Baruch, 35, and Eitan Levy, 53. The Hostages and Missing Families Forum stated that Nimrodi was killed by IDF bombings while in captivity. Baruch was shot dead near his car at the Nova music festival, and Levy was killed after dropping a friend at Be’eri kibbutz on 7 October.
Far-right Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir accused Hamas of “playing games” and called for a halt to aid supplies unless all bodies are returned. Israel has faced accusations of using starvation as a weapon of war after repeatedly blocking aid. The IDF chief of staff, Lt Gen Eyal Zamir, said the military would “not rest until we return all [of the hostages].”
Under the ceasefire deal, Israel has released some medical workers seized during hospital raids, but over 100 remain in detention, including Dr Hussam Abu Safiya, director of Kamal Adwan hospital, who has been held without charge for nearly 10 months. Healthcare Workers Watch reported that 55 medical workers were on lists of freed detainees, with at least 115 still missing.
