Israel says one body released by Hamas not a former hostage

Israeli officials on Wednesday said one of the bodies recently handed over by Hamas is not actually one of the deceased hostages taken by the group, based on forensic testing. 

The transfer of an unidentified body adds another layer of strain to a fragile ceasefire brokered by President Trump last week, in which Hamas committed to handing over the bodies of 28 hostages it has held, largely since its Oct. 7, 2023, attack on the country. 

Hamas has handed over eight bodies since Monday, which was supposed to be the deadline for the release of all hostages, living and dead. The surviving 20 captives have all returned home.

The Israeli military said on Wednesday that examinations at the National Institute of Forensic Medicine determined one of four bodies handed over by Hamas that day did not match any of the hostages. 

“The Government and the entire establishment for the missing and the captives of the State of Israel are determined, committed, and working tirelessly to return all of our fallen hostages for proper burial in their country,” the office of Israel’s Prime Minister said in a statement. 

“The Hamas terrorist organization is required to uphold its commitments to the mediators and return them as part of the implementation of the agreement,” it continued. “We will not compromise on this and will spare no effort until we return all of the fallen hostages, every last one of them. May their memories be for a blessing.”

The International Committee of the Red Cross is coordinating the transfer of bodies between Hamas and Israel, and Hamas reportedly said it needed more time to locate and hand over bodies within the framework of the ceasefire deal. 

Earlier this year, Hamas gave Israel a body it said belonged to slain hostage Shiri Bibas, but it was then identified as a Palestinian woman. Bibas’s actual remains were later handed to Israel. 

Hamas has informed the mediators it will transfer four more bodies of deceased hostages to Israel on Wednesday, The Times of Israel reported. 

Israel said it would reduce the amount of humanitarian aid flowing into Gaza as a response to Hamas’s delay in handing over the bodies, The Associated Press reported, but it was not immediately clear if that threat was followed through on.