Bodies of slain hostages may be in IDF-controlled territory, say Israeli officials

IDF digs through parts of Gaza still under its control amid reports that multiple bodies of slain hostages may be on the Israeli side of the Yellow Line.

By World Israel News Staff

Israeli forces are conducting searches in the Gaza Strip for the remains of slain hostages that may have been left behind by Hamas as the terror group retreated after the IDF’s resumption of ground operations earlier this year.

According to two Israeli officials cited by The Jerusalem Post in a Sunday report, Israel believes that the bodies of several missing hostages may be located in Israeli-held territory in the Gaza Strip.

After the signing of the ceasefire deal earlier this month, the IDF withdrew from nearly a quarter of the Gaza Strip. However, Israel still maintains security control over more than half of the coastal enclave, which is currently divided along the “Yellow Line” separating Israeli-held and Hamas-held territory.

While Hamas agreed to return all 48 of the remaining hostages – including 20 living captives and the remains of 28 dead hostages – to Israel by October 13, the terror group has yet to transfer the remains of 13 slain captives.

It is believed that Hamas knows the location of eight of the remaining hostages, a senior Israeli official told the Yedioth Aharonoth newspaper.

While Israel is conducting its own searches on its side of the Yellow Line, Egyptian teams are also operating in Gaza to help locate the remains of missing slain captives.

According to the Post report, Israel gave the green light to a request by Egypt to send search teams into the Gaza Strip.

Israel’s Channel 12 reported that the Red Cross also joined the searches, with a team operating in the Rafah area.

President Donald Trump appeared to set a 48-hour deadline on Saturday for Hamas to return additional hostages, without specifying how many the terror group must transfer within that time frame.

“Hamas is going to have to start returning the bodies of the deceased hostages, including two Americans, quickly, or the other Countries involved in this GREAT PEACE will take action,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social account.

“Some of the bodies are hard to reach, but others they can return now and, for some reason, they are not. Perhaps it has to do with their disarming, but when I said, ‘Both sides would be treated fairly,’ that only applies if they comply with their obligations. Let’s see what they do over the next 48 hours. I am watching this very closely.”