Israeli officials said the Egyptian team is working with the ICRC to locate bodies and are using excavators and trucks for the search (Source: AP)
Amid fears of Hamas’ failure to hand over the bodies of all 28 hostages who had died in their custody, derailing the fragile ceasefire in Gaza, the Palestinian militant group on Wednesday returned the remains of more captives.
The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) confirmed that Hamas has handed over the remains of two hostages to the Red Cross.
“According to information provided by the Red Cross, two coffins of deceased hostages have been transferred into their custody and are on their way to IDF and ISA forces in the Gaza Strip. Hamas is required to uphold the agreement and take the necessary steps to return all the hostages,” the IDF said in a social media post.
🟡 According to information provided by the Red Cross, two coffins of deceased hostages have been transferred into their custody and are on their way to IDF and ISA forces in the Gaza Strip.
Hamas is required to uphold the agreement and take the necessary steps to return all…
Earlier in the day, Israeli media, citing senior officials, reported that the country is expecting bodies of more hostages to be returned on Wednesday night (October 15). There was, however, confusion on the number of bodies Hamas would return in the latest round. While some reports claimed it was two, Qatar-based Al-Arabi channel said that Hamas would hand over the bodies of 5 hostages to Israel.
People light candles outside Abu Kabir, the forensic institute where the identification process is being carried out on the bodies that were held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip, in Tel Aviv, Israel, Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)
This is in addition to the remains of the four hostages, which were returned on Monday, followed by another four on Tuesday. However, Israel has claimed that one of the bodies that was handed over to the Red Cross on Tuesday night was not of any hostages.
This still leaves the remains of 21 Israeli hostages with Hamas, which is reportedly struggling to locate them amid the rubble in Gaza. The Red Cross has also admitted that it could take weeks or even months to find all the remaining bodies.
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Currently, a team from Egypt, with the support of experts from Israel, is in Gaza and is still exploring methods for locating the remaining 21 slain hostages.
The return of all the hostages, both dead and alive, was the key demand of Israel to end the war in Gaza.
Though all the living hostages have been returned, the lingering confusion over the deceased captives has raised questions about the future of the ceasefire itself.
Palestinians surrounded by destroyed buildings in Gaza City, in the northern Gaza Strip. (AP Photo)
“Hamas… is required to uphold its commitments to the mediators and return all of our hostages as part of the implementation of this agreement,” a spokeswoman for the government said in a news conference.
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“We will not compromise on this, and we will spare no effort until our fallen hostages return, every last one of them.”
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Israeli officials said the Egyptian team is working with the ICRC to locate bodies and are using excavators and trucks for the search (Source: AP) 
