November 5, 2025 01:19 AM IST
First published on: Nov 5, 2025 at 01:01 AM IST
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Red Cross vehicles carrying the bodies of three people believed to be deceased hostages handed over by Hamas make their way toward the border crossing with Israel, to be transferred to Israeli authorities, in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip. (AP)
The Israeli military said on Tuesday that the body of a deceased Israeli hostage had been handed over to its troops in Gaza by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
In a post on X, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said: “According to information provided by the Red Cross, a coffin of a deceased hostage has been transferred into its custody and is on the way to IDF troops in Gaza.”
🟡 According to information provided by the Red Cross, a coffin of a deceased hostage has been transferred into its custody and is on the way to IDF troops in Gaza.
Hamas is required to uphold the agreement and take the necessary steps to return all the deceased hostages.
The statement added that “Hamas is required to uphold the agreement and take the necessary steps to return all the deceased hostages.”
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Hamas statement on body recovery
Earlier on Tuesday, the armed wing of Hamas said it had found the body of an Israeli soldier who had been held hostage in Gaza and would hand it over at 8 p.m. (1800 GMT).
Hamas said the body was located in Shejaia, an eastern suburb of Gaza City, in an area still controlled by Israeli forces. The group said Israel had allowed teams from Hamas and the Red Cross to access the site.
Ceasefire deal and previous exchanges
Under a ceasefire agreement that began on 10 October, Hamas freed 20 living hostages in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinians detained in Israel. The group also agreed to return the remains of deceased hostages but has said that widespread destruction in Gaza has made locating the bodies difficult.
Israel has accused Hamas of delaying the process. Before Tuesday’s handover, Hamas had returned 20 of 28 bodies of Israeli hostages buried in Gaza. In return, Israel transferred the bodies of 270 Palestinians killed since the start of the war in October 2023, according to Gaza health authorities.
Toll of the conflict
Hamas-led militants killed about 1,200 people and took 251 hostages during their cross-border attack on Israel on 7 October 2023, Israeli officials say.
Israel’s retaliatory offensive in Gaza has killed more than 68,000 Palestinians, according to health officials in the enclave.
The US-brokered ceasefire has largely held despite intermittent clashes. Gaza health authorities say Israeli forces have killed 239 people since the truce began, almost half of them in one day last week after a militant attack on Israeli troops.
Israel says three of its soldiers have died since the ceasefire started and that its forces have targeted militants approaching areas where troops have pulled back.
On Tuesday, Gaza health officials reported that Israeli fire killed a man in Jabalia, in northern Gaza. The Israeli military said it had targeted a “terrorist” who crossed into a zone still under its control and posed an “imminent threat.”
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Red Cross vehicles carrying the bodies of three people believed to be deceased hostages handed over by Hamas make their way toward the border crossing with Israel, to be transferred to Israeli authorities, in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip. (AP) 
