Israel receives body of a hostage from Hamas, says IDF

Tel Aviv [Israel], October 18 (ANI): The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) on Saturday confirmed the receipt of a coffin containing the body of a deceased hostage from Hamas, transferred via the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) at the Gaza border, as part of the ongoing implementation of the US-brokered ceasefire agreement.
In a post on X, the IDF stated that the body will undergo formal identification at the National Institute of Forensic Medicine in Tel Aviv.
"The coffin of the deceased hostage, escorted by IDF troops, crossed the border into the State of Israel a short while ago and is on its way to the National Institute for Forensic Medicine, where identification procedures will be carried out," the IDF said in the post.
IDF officials stated that representatives are currently accompanying the families of the hostages and urged the public to act with restraint and await official identification.
"The IDF urges the public to act with sensitivity and wait for official identification, which will first be communicated to the families of the deceased hostages," the statement added.
In an earlier update, the IDF said the transfer was facilitated by the Red Cross and reiterated the demand for Hamas to fully comply with ongoing agreements regarding the return of all hostages.
"According to information provided by the Red Cross, a coffin of a deceased hostage has been transferred into its custody and is on the way to IDF troops 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 separate post.
According to CNN, Hamas has confirmed that it handed over the body to Red Cross personnel. In a statement, spokesperson of the terrorist group, Hazem Qassem, said that the group would "continue working to complete the entire exchange process."
Before Friday's transfer, Hamas had already returned the remains of nine out of the 28 confirmed deceased hostages held in Gaza, CNN reported.
Hamas claims it has handed over all the bodies it has been able to locate. However, Israeli intelligence believes Hamas may still be withholding the locations of some of the deceased hostages and has the ability to return more remains, according to two Israeli officials familiar with the situation, as reported by CNN.
Earlier on Monday, all 20 living hostages returned to Israel.
As per the Israeli government, the hostages were identified as Elkana Bohbot, Avinatan Or, Yosef-Haim Ohana, Evyatar David, Rom Braslavski, Segev Kalfon, Nimrod Cohen, Maxim Herkin, Eitan Horn, Matan Zangauker, Bar Kupershtein, David Cunio, Ariel Cunio, Gali, Ziv Berman, Matan Angrest, Alon Ohel, Omri Miran, Eitan Mor, and Guy Gilboa-Dallal and were safely escorted out of the Gaza Strip by special Israeli forces after they were transferred to the Red Cross by Hamas.
Monday marked the end of the two-year war, which began on October 7, 2023. As per Al Jazeera, Hamas attacks claimed 1,139 lives and resulted in the abduction of around 200 people.
Meanwhile, since October 2023, the conflict has resulted in at least 67,913 deaths and 170,134 injuries, as reported by Al Jazeera. (ANI)