Israel receives the remains of three soldiers and hands over the bodies of 45 Palestinians World news

All three were killed during the Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, which sparked the war. The Israeli Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement: “The government of Israel shares the deep grief of the families of Hamami, Neutra, Daniel and all the families of the deceased hostages. Hamas must fulfill its obligations and return all the hostages. We will not compromise until every one of them is returned home.”

Hamas initially handed over the bodies of the soldiers to the Red Cross in Gaza and then transferred them to Israeli forces for identification at the National Forensic Center in Tel Aviv.

How did the exchange happen?

The Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Hamas movement, said that the remains of the three soldiers were found “along the path of one of the tunnels in the southern Gaza Strip.”

A spokesman for the Israeli Prime Minister confirmed to the Associated Press that the handover took place on Sunday evening, as part of the ongoing ceasefire agreement that began on October 10.

In contrast, the Associated Press reported that Israel released 45 Palestinian bodies on Monday, bringing the total number of Palestinian remains handed over since the start of the ceasefire to 270.

How many hostages were returned?

Under the first phase of the US-brokered ceasefire, Hamas agreed to return all 20 living hostages and 28 dead. So far, the bodies of 18 Israeli hostages and two foreign nationals, one Thai and one Nepalese, have been returned.

Six of the eight hostages still in Gaza are Israeli, one is Tanzanian and one is Thai. All living Israeli hostages were released on 13 October in exchange for 250 Palestinian prisoners and 1,718 Gaza detainees.

What delays additional returns?

Israel accused Hamas of delaying the recovery of the remaining bodies. Hamas said it was striving to locate them under the rubble resulting from the fighting.

This slow progress has stalled talks on the second phase of the ceasefire, which was intended to cover plans for governance in Gaza, the withdrawal of Israeli forces, the disarmament of Hamas, and reconstruction efforts after two years of war.

Who were the soldiers?

Colonel Hamami commanded the Southern Brigade of the Israeli Gaza Division and was among the first officers to arrive in combat zones during the October 7 offensive. He was killed near Kibbutz Nirim, and his body was transported to Gaza.

Captain Neutra, an Israeli-American, served as a platoon leader in the IDF’s 7th Brigade. The Associated Press said he was killed near the Gaza border, and that Hamas took his body.

Sergeant Daniel (19 years old) was serving in the same brigade. He was killed during fighting near the Gaza perimeter and was kidnapped after the battle.

The Forum for Families of Hostages and Missing Persons in Israel said that it “bows its head in grief and shares the families’ deep grief.”

She said in a statement published by the newspaper, “There are no words to express the depth of this pain. The hostages do not have time. We must return them all to their homeland now.” BBC.

The Palestinian side: Handing over the bodies to Gaza hospitals

The Associated Press reported that the Gaza Ministry of Health received 45 Palestinian bodies at Nasser Hospital in Deir al-Balah on Monday afternoon.

Ministry spokesman, Zaher Al-Wahidi, said that identifying the remains was slow due to the lack of DNA testing tools. He added: “Only about 75 of the bodies returned have been identified so far.”

The ministry said it was publishing the photos online in the hope that families would be able to identify their relatives.

Meanwhile, health authorities in Gaza said that a vaccination campaign for about 40,000 children under the age of three will begin next week to prevent diseases such as measles and polio.