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News Topical, Digital Desk : The Israeli military claimed on Wednesday that one of the four bodies returned by Hamas on Tuesday as part of a ceasefire agreement was not that of a hostage. The army said that overnight forensic tests found that one of the bodies did not match any of the hostages.
The Israeli military warned that Hamas must take necessary steps to return all dead hostages. Hamas has returned 20 living hostages and eight bodies since Monday, including six Israelis, one Nepali, and one unidentified man.
How was the ceasefire agreed upon?
The exchange took place under a ceasefire agreement brokered by US President Donald Trump. Meanwhile, a hospital in Gaza said it had received 45 Palestinian bodies returned by Israel.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday that Hamas must fulfill the terms of the ceasefire agreement. He said, "We will not rest until the last dead hostage is returned." According to the agreement, all hostages, dead and alive, were to be returned by Monday. If this deadline was not met, Hamas was to share information about the dead hostages and return them as soon as possible.
Hamas has returned the wrong bodies before
This isn't the first time Hamas has returned the wrong body. During a previous ceasefire, Hamas claimed to have returned the bodies of Shiri Bibas and her two sons, but investigations revealed that one of the bodies was that of a Palestinian woman. Bibas's body was returned a day later.
Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem said on Wednesday that the group was working to return the bodies, in accordance with the agreement, but Israel broke the ceasefire on Tuesday by shelling eastern Gaza City and Rafah. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said the army was only deployed along the designated borders and anyone approaching those borders would be targeted.
The bodies of two hostages, who were returned on Tuesday, were cremated near Tel Aviv on Wednesday. The families urged people to stand along the route to pay their respects. During previous ceasefires, thousands of Israelis took to the streets in silence, holding flags.
The first phase of the exchange is complete.
Israel released 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees on Monday, sparking joy and relief on both sides. However, families of the deceased hostages expressed disappointment that only eight of the 28 bodies had been returned so far.
Three of the four bodies returned Tuesday night were identified as Uriel Baruch, Tamir Nimrodi, and Eitan Levy. Baruch was abducted from the Nova Music Festival during a Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, while Nimrodi was picked up at the Erez border crossing.
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