VP Vance says some deceased hostages may never come home

US envoy Steve Witkoff met with families, acknowledging that recovering the remains of all the deceased hostages could be extremely difficult.

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

Vice President JD Vance said Sunday that not all the hostages murdered by Hamas will necessarily be recovered, warning that the effort to locate and return their remains could take time.

“The reality is that some of the hostages may never get back,” Vance said on Sunday in an interview on Fox.

He added that while rescuing the living remains the Trump administration’s priority, returning the bodies of those killed is also a vital part of “giving families the ability to have a proper burial with their loved ones who were murdered by brutal terrorists.”

His comments came as Israel and Hamas prepared to implement the first phase of a ceasefire agreement that formally ended the two-year war in Gaza.

The deal requires Hamas to release all remaining hostages — 20 believed to be alive and 28 confirmed dead — within 72 hours of the Israel Defense Forces’ withdrawal from Gaza, completed Friday at noon.

In return, Israel will free about 2,000 Palestinian prisoners.

Gal Hirsch, Israel’s coordinator for hostage affairs, told families in a Friday message that “the process of releasing your loved ones — our loved ones — will begin on Monday morning.”

He said living hostages would be transferred first, followed by the remains of those killed, which would be received “in a painful and respectful ceremony” before being taken to Israel’s Institute of Forensic Medicine for identification.

Top Hamas representative Osama Hamdan confirmed the timeline to AFP, stating that “the prisoner exchange is set to begin on Monday morning as agreed.”

However, Israeli officials cautioned that not all timing details were settled, citing Hamas’ logistical challenges and coordination with the International Committee of the Red Cross.

US special envoy Steve Witkoff met with families Saturday, acknowledging that recovering every body could be extremely difficult.

Relatives pleaded with Israeli authorities to “do everything possible” to bring everyone home.

Israeli officials have privately acknowledged that between seven and 15 bodies may never be found.

Despite that grim reality, the Trump-brokered peace agreement sparked scenes of jubilation at Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square, where tens of thousands gathered to celebrate what many called the beginning of Israel’s long-awaited closure.