Israel on Sunday confirmed that Hamas has handed over two coffins containing the remains of deceased hostages from the Gaza Strip, marking a sombre development in the ongoing ceasefire negotiations.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday (local time) ordered the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt to remain closed "until further notice", shortly after the Palestinian Embassy in Cairo announced that the crossing would reopen on Monday, October 20.
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 agree
Azar, while speaking to ANI on the sidelines of an event commemorating the October 7 massacre, said that he hoped to see peace in their region in the coming years.
US President Donald Trump described Hamas' search for deceased hostages in Gaza as a "gruesome process," with bodies under rubble and in tunnels. He also stressed the need for weapons to be handed over, warning that if they are not, the US will take action.
An Israeli security official briefing reporters on Wednesday morning said one of the four bodies returned to Israel overnight was not a hostage. He said experts at the National Centre of Forensic Medicine determined the remains belonged to a Palestinian.
In a major breakthrough toward ending months of violence, the last 20 remaining hostages held in the Israel-Gaza conflict have been released, reuniting with their families after enduring what Former US President Joe Biden described as "unimaginable hell."