one of four bodies handed over by hamas is not of captive in gaza, israel claims

Red Cross vehicles transport the bodies of deceased hostages who had been held in Gaza since the deadly October 7,2023 attack (Picture: Reuters)

One of the four bodies handed over by Hamas,as part of the US-brokered ceasefire deal,is not of a hostage held in the Gaza Strip,Israel claimed.

By Monday night,the armed resistance group had released the remains of four captives,and four more followed late last night – but only three have so far been identified.

The Israeli military said that ‘following the completion of examinations at the National Institute of Forensic Medicine,the fourth body handed over to Israel by Hamas does not match any of the hostages.’

Hamas and the Red Cross have said that recovering the remains of dead hostages was a challenge because of Gaza’s vast destruction.

Some of the remains are understood to be in areas controlled by Israeli troops.

Christian Cardon,spokesperson for the International Committee of the Red Cross,stressed that returning all the bodies could take days or weeks – and there was a possibility some may never be discovered.

He warned: ‘That’s an even bigger challenge than having the people alive being released. That’s a massive challenge.’

Meanwhile,Gal Hirsch,Israel’s coordinator for the release of hostages and the missing,said that an international task force will work to locate the deceased hostages who are not returned within 72 hours.

Israelis watch as a convoy transporting the bodies of deceased hostages,kidnapped during the deadly October 7,2023 attack by Hamas,arrives at Abu Kabir forensic centre (Picture: Reuters)

According to the the Hostages Family Forum,the three identified were Uriel Baruch,Tamir Nimrodi and Eitan Levi.

The handover came after Israel warned that it would slash aid deliveries to Gaza.

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