Bodies of slain hostages Amiram Cooper and Sahar Baruch returned to Israel

Prime Minister’s Office: “Israel shares in the deep sorrow of the Cooper and Baruch families and of all the families of the fallen hostages.”

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

The Israel Defense Forces confirmed on Thursday that Hamas has returned the remains of two hostages, Amiram Cooper, 85, and Sahar Baruch, 25, both abducted during the October 7, 2023, attacks.

Military representatives informed their families earlier in the day after the bodies were transferred from Gaza to Israel.

Cooper, a member of Kibbutz Nir Oz, was seized from his home and later killed while in captivity. His death was confirmed in June 2024 following intelligence assessments. Baruch, from Kibbutz Be’eri, was taken hostage during the same assault and died in December 2023 during an IDF operation that attempted to rescue him from Gaza.

In a statement, the Prime Minister’s Office expressed condolences to the victims’ families, saying Israel “shares in the deep sorrow of the Cooper and Baruch families and of all the families of the fallen hostages.”

The statement added that Israel remains “determined, committed, and working tirelessly” to bring back the remaining bodies for burial.

Officials said Hamas is obligated under the current ceasefire agreement to return the bodies of all 11 remaining hostages who were killed in Gaza. The government has pressed mediators to ensure the group upholds those terms.

Reports earlier this week said Israel still lacks information on the whereabouts of four of the 11 hostages’ bodies believed to remain in Gaza.

According to Kan public broadcaster, Jerusalem has urged Washington to maintain pressure on Hamas to fulfill its obligations, citing the humanitarian and moral urgency of recovering the remains.

Vice President JD Vance and other senior US officials visited the region in recent days to reinforce the fragile ceasefire and discuss the status of the hostage returns.

During those meetings, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir emphasized the importance of the effort, noting Israel’s decade-long struggle to recover the body of fallen soldier Hadar Goldin, missing since 2014.

Hamas has claimed it has been unable to locate several of the remaining bodies and has not returned any since Tuesday, telling mediators it requires additional time and assistance to find them.