Red Cross transfers two bodies to Israel, Hamas says no more have been found

Hamas has claimed it is complying with the terms of the ceasefire, stating that it has handed over all living hostages and every body it could reach.

By World Israel News Staff

Israel has received two coffins containing the remains of deceased hostages, transferred by the Red Cross and now in the custody of IDF and Shin Bet forces, officials confirmed Wednesday.

The coffins are being transported to the National Institute for Forensic Medicine in Tel Aviv, where identification procedures will be conducted.

According to the IDF, representatives are accompanying the families during the transfer.

The military released a statement urging the public to act with sensitivity while awaiting official identification, which will first be communicated directly to the families of the deceased.

“Two coffins of deceased hostages, escorted by IDF and ISA forces, crossed the border into the State of Israel a short while ago and are on their way to the National Institute for Forensic Medicine, where identification procedures will be carried out. IDF representatives are accompanying the families. 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.”

Earlier Wednesday morning, four bodies had been transferred from Gaza, but Israeli authorities later determined that one of them did not belong to an Israeli hostage.

Hamas has claimed it is complying with the terms of the ceasefire, stating that it has handed over all living hostages and every body it could reach.

The organization said that remaining bodies require special equipment and significant effort to locate and retrieve.

An Israeli official disputed that account, asserting that Hamas knows exactly where additional deceased hostages are being held.

The slow pace of returns and Hamas’s apparent failure to fully comply with the agreement have heightened tensions in Israel.

Officials have warned that continued violations could trigger a resumption of military operations, signaling that renewed fighting remains a very real option if the group does not meet its obligations.