Israel

Confirmation of their identities would bring the total number of deceased hostages transferred under the first phase of the US-brokered ceasefire deal to 15.

By: Express Web Desk

October 22, 2025 09:09 AM IST

2 min read

Under the ceasefire and hostage release agreement, Israel has freed 250 Palestinian prisoners and 1,718 detainees from Gaza. (Source: AP)

Israel has received two bodies that Hamas says are of deceased hostages who were held in Gaza. The Israeli military posted on X saying the Red Cross handed over two coffins to its troops in the Palestinian territory before they were escorted across the border into Israel for formal identification in the National Institute for Forensic Medicine.

Confirmation of their identities would bring the total number of deceased hostages transferred under the first phase of the US-brokered ceasefire deal to 15 of 28. All 20 living hostages covered by the agreement were released shortly after the ceasefire deal.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) urged public to wait for official identification, which will first be shared with the families. It said Hamas must fulfill its obligation under the agreement to return all deceased hostages.

Hamas said it has faced difficulty recovering bodies buried under rubble from Israeli airstrikes and had previously handed over a Palestinian body by mistake.

Under the ceasefire and hostage release deal, Israel has released 250 Palestinian prisoners and 1,718 detainees from Gaza, and returned 15 Palestinian bodies for each Israeli hostage’s remains, BBC reported. The first phase also includes increased aid into Gaza, a partial Israeli troop withdrawal, and a pause in fighting.

The IDF launched its campaign in Gaza after the 7 October 2023 attack, when Hamas-led gunmen killed about 1,200 people in southern Israel and took 251 hostages. More than 68,000 people have been killed in Gaza since, according to the Hamas-run health ministry, whose figures are cited by the UN.

(With inputs from BBC)

From the homepage