JERUSALEM (AP) — The remains of three people handed over by Hamas to the Red Cross this week do not belong to any of the hostages, Israel said Saturday, the latest development that could undermine the U.S.-brokered agreement for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war.
The handover followed Israel’s return on Friday of the bodies of 30 Palestinians to Gaza. That completed an exchange after militants earlier this week turned over remains of two hostages, a sign that the tense Israel-Hamas ceasefire agreement was edging forward.
The unidentified remains of the three people were returned late Friday to Israel, where they were being examined overnight. At the time, a military official warned that Israeli intelligence suggested they did not belong to any of the hostages taken by Palestinian militants during the Oct. 7, 2023 attack on southern Israel that sparked the war.
A second Israeli military official confirmed on Saturday that they were not of any hostages, followed by the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“The remains we received are not our hostages,” the office said.
It was unclear who they might be and why they were returned to Israel. The two Israeli officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media. A Hamas spokesman did not immediately answer calls and messages seeking a comment.
Since the U.S. brokered ceasefire between Israel and Hamas took effect on Oct. 10, Palestinian militants have released the remains of 17 hostages that were held in Gaza for the past two years.
But the process of returning the bodies of the last 11 remaining hostages, as called for under the truce deal, is progressing slowly, with militants releasing just one or two bodies every few days.
The total number of Palestinian bodies returned by Israel since the ceasefire began now stands at 225. Only 75 of those have been identified by families, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. It is unclear if those returned were killed in Israel during the Oct. 7, 2023 attack, whether they died in Israeli custody as detainees or were recovered from Gaza by troops during the war.
The fragile truce faced its biggest challenge earlier this week when Israel carried out strikes across Gaza that killed more than 100 people, following the killing of an Israeli soldier in Rafah, Gaza’s southernmost city, and the incomplete return of hostages.
The post Latest remains returned to Israel from Gaza are not bodies of hostages, Israel says appeared first on Associated Press.
