UPDATE - Hamas transfers remains of 3 more Israeli hostages

ADDS DETAILS

By Rania Abu Shamala

ISTANBUL (AA) - The Palestinian group Hamas handed over the remains of three more Israeli hostages to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) late Sunday under a ceasefire agreement with Israel, the Israeli army confirmed.

Hamas earlier said that it would hand over the bodies of three captives it had recovered from under the rubble.

Later, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office announced that the army has received the remains of three Israelis who had been held in the Gaza Strip.

It added that the bodies will be transferred to the National Institute of Forensic Medicine under the Ministry of Health, and once the identification process is completed, their families will be officially notified.

Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem said in a statement that “the Qassam Brigades’ handover of the remains of three occupation soldiers comes as part of the group’s firm commitment to completing the exchange process and making every effort to deliver all bodies as soon as possible,” referring to the group’s armed wing.

“In return, mediators must pressure the occupation to fulfill the obligations of the Gaza ceasefire agreement,” he added.

The development comes as part of the first phase of the ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement between Hamas and Israel, which came into effect on Oct. 10.

Since then, Hamas has released 20 Israeli captives alive and returned the remains of 18 out of 28 deceased captives, most of them Israelis, according to the group. Israel, however, previously claimed that one of the bodies received did not match any of its missing captives.

Israel has tied the start of negotiations for the second phase of the ceasefire to the handover of all the hostage remains. Hamas says the process requires time due to the massive destruction in Gaza.

Phase one of the deal includes the release of Israeli hostages in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners. The plan also envisages the rebuilding of Gaza and the establishment of a new governing mechanism without Hamas.

Israel has killed close to 69,000 people, mostly women and children, and injured over 170,000 others in attacks in Gaza since October 2023.