The Israeli army said on Tuesday that the International Committee of the Red Cross handed over the body of the deceased Israeli hostage to its forces in Gaza.
In a post on the website
🟡 According to information provided by the Red Cross, the coffin of the deceased hostage was transferred to its custody and is on its way to IDF forces in Gaza.
Hamas is required to adhere to the agreement and take the necessary steps to return all deceased hostages.
– Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) November 4, 2025
The statement added, “Hamas is required to abide by the agreement and take the necessary steps to return all deceased hostages.”
Hamas statement regarding the recovery of bodies
Earlier on Tuesday, the military wing of the Hamas movement said that it had found the body of an Israeli soldier who was being held hostage in Gaza and would hand it over at 8 p.m. (1800 GMT).
Hamas said the body was located in Shujaiya, the eastern suburb of Gaza City, in an area still under the control of Israeli forces. The group said that Israel allowed teams from Hamas and the Red Cross to access the site.
Ceasefire agreement and previous exchanges
Under the ceasefire agreement that began on October 10, Hamas released 20 hostages alive in exchange for the release of nearly 2,000 Palestinians detained in Israel. The group also agreed to return the remains of deceased hostages, but said widespread destruction in Gaza made it difficult to locate the bodies.
Israel accused Hamas of delaying the operation. Before handing over power on Tuesday, Hamas returned 20 of the 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 health authorities in Gaza.
The outcome of the conflict
Israeli officials said that Hamas-led militants killed about 1,200 people and took 251 hostage during their cross-border attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.
The Israeli retaliatory attack on Gaza led to the deaths of more than 68,000 Palestinians, according to health officials in the Strip.
The ceasefire is holding despite the violence
The US-brokered ceasefire has largely held despite sporadic clashes. Health authorities in Gaza say that Israeli forces have killed 239 people since the start of the truce, nearly half of them in one day last week after an armed attack on Israeli forces.
Israel says that three of its soldiers have been killed since the ceasefire began, and that its forces targeted militants approaching the areas from which the forces withdrew.
Gaza health officials reported on Tuesday that Israeli fire killed a man in Jabalia, in the northern Gaza Strip. The Israeli army said it targeted a “terrorist” who crossed into an area still under its control and posed an “imminent threat.”
(With inputs from Reuters)
(Tags for translation) Ceasefire Agreement
