Journalism of Courage
Israel on Thursday said it has identified the remains of two more hostages returned from Gaza on Wednesday night. According to Israel’s National Institute of Forensic Medicine, the two hostages have been identified as Inbar Hayman and Sgt. Muhammad al-Atresh.
27-year-old Hayman was an attendee at the Nova music festival in kibbutz Re’im, from where Hamas had taken 44 people hostage.
According to Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani, Hayman was killed during the attack, and her body was taken into Gaza by Hamas.
“Our beloved Inbar has come home. To her parents, to her brother, to us. This is a feeling that cannot be described: joy mingled with profound sadness. Now Inbar will receive the rest and honor she so deeply deserves,” her family said in a statement.
The second hostage returned on Wednesday is 39-year-old Al-Atresh, a sergeant major in the IDF’s Northern Gaza Brigade, who was also killed by Hamas on October 7 and his body was taken to Gaza.
According to the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, Al-Atresh leaves behind a family including two wives and 13 children, the youngest of whom was born just two months before he was killed.
The return of all the hostages, both living and dead, was the most important demand Israel had for the Gaza ceasefire deal.
But so far, Hamas has only managed to return nine out of the 28 deceased hostages. The return of the 19 remaining hostages remains a major challenge to Hamas, Israel, and the negotiators who worked to make the ceasefire a reality.
While there is increasing pressure on the Netanyahu government to ensure the return of the remaining hostages, Hamas has reportedly told the Red Cross that they are unable to locate the bodies.
Two US advisers, who have direct knowledge of the situation, also acknowledged the situation.
One of the advisers said the damage and destruction of most buildings in Gaza after two years of intense Israeli bombardment would make finding and identifying bodies a difficult task. During talks before the Hamas-Israel ceasefire and hostage deal was agreed, all sides acknowledged that the search would be extremely difficult.
“The entire Gaza Strip has been pulverized,” the advisor was quoted as saying by NBC News. “In a 72-hour ceasefire period, I think it would have been almost impossible for Hamas to mobilise, even if they knew, with all the 28 bodies were to mobilise and get them home.”
