Red Cross team en route to receive hostage’s body in Gaza, IDF says

The joint statement by the terror groups claimed the remains were found earlier on Thursday in the Khan Yunis area of southern Gaza.

By JNS

The Israel Defense Forces said Thursday night that an International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) team was en route to receive a coffin believed to contain the body of a hostage in the Gaza Strip.

“The IDF requests that the public act with sensitivity and wait for the official identification, which will first be provided to the families,” the military stated, adding: “Hamas is required to uphold the agreement and take the necessary steps to return all the deceased hostages.”

Earlier on Thursday, the Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist organizations announced that they would return to the Jewish state around 8 p.m. local time the body of a hostage.

The joint statement by the terror groups claimed the remains were found earlier on Thursday in the Khan Yunis area of southern Gaza.

Four more bodies are still being held by terrorists, those of three Israelis—Meny Godard, Sgt. Ran Gvili and Dror Or—and of one Thai citizen, Sudthisak Rinthalak, who was working in Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.

Under the U.S.-brokered ceasefire and hostage-release agreement for Gaza that went into effect last month, Hamas terrorists committed to returning for burial 28 bodies they were holding captive, on Oct. 13.

However, Hamas has slow-walked the return of the deceased hostages, reportedly to avoid its disarmament, which is set to take place in the second phase of the deal with a deployment of international forces.