Israel has declared that forensic analysis of materials recently returned from the Gaza Strip does not match the remains of the two hostages still held there, casting a fresh shadow over an already fragile ceasefire agreement.
Forensic Tests Yield Negative Results
On Wednesday, the Israeli Prime Minister's Office confirmed that testing on the "findings" handed over the previous day had been completed. The results showed the material was not linked to the two deceased hostages whose bodies are believed to remain in Gaza. The items were reportedly discovered in Beit Lahiya, a town in northern Gaza.
Israeli officials have deliberately used the term "findings" rather than "remains" in their communications this week. The reason for this specific wording remains unclear, and the government did not provide further comment when questioned.
The Two Hostages Still in Gaza
The identities of the two men are known. Ran Gvili was an Israeli who helped others escape the Nova music festival during the Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023. He was later killed while fighting at a separate location, with the military confirming his death four months afterwards.
The second hostage is Sudthisak Rinthalak, a Thai agricultural worker employed at Kibbutz Be'eri. He had been working in Israel since 2017. Thai nationals represented the largest group of foreigners taken captive during the assault, with 31 abducted. While most were released in earlier truces, the Thai Foreign Ministry states that 46 of its citizens have been killed during the war.
A Fragile Exchange Process Under Strain
This latest development presents a new challenge to the shaky, US-mediated ceasefire. The initial phase of the deal, which involves the exchange of hostage remains for Palestinian bodies, is nearing completion. Since the ceasefire began in early October, 20 living hostages and the remains of 26 others have been returned to Israel.
As part of the agreement, Israel has been releasing 15 Palestinian bodies for the remains of each hostage. The Gaza Health Ministry, which operates under the Hamas-run government, says it has received 330 bodies so far.
However, the process has been fraught with difficulties and mutual accusations. Hamas has cited the widespread devastation in Gaza as a major complication for recovering bodies. Israel, meanwhile, has pushed for faster returns and has previously claimed that some remains provided were not those of hostages, accusing Hamas of handing over partial remains or staging discoveries.
Hamas has also accused Israel of violating the ceasefire terms by opening fire on civilians and restricting humanitarian aid. While casualty numbers have dropped since the truce, reports of deaths from strikes and militant attacks continue.
Further complicating identification, health officials in Gaza report they have only been able to identify a fraction of the bodies handed over by Israel, hampered by a critical shortage of DNA testing kits.
The war was triggered by the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel in October 2023, which killed approximately 1,200 people and saw 251 taken hostage. Gaza's Health Ministry reports the Palestinian death toll has exceeded 70,100, though it does not distinguish between militants and civilians.
