Four deceased hostages’ coffins have arrived in Israel, as per the Israeli military announcement on Tuesday. The bodies are being transported to the National Institute for Forensic Medicine for identification procedures, following their handover by the Red Cross workers in Gaza. Israel has reduced aid to Gaza after Hamas failed to return all hostage bodies as agreed upon in a U.S.-brokered ceasefire deal. The IDF has emphasized Hamas’ obligation to fulfill the agreement.
Israeli officials have confirmed the closure of the Rafah border crossing with Egypt until Wednesday due to Hamas’s non-compliance with returning over 20 remaining hostage remains. Meanwhile, the return of deceased hostages from Gaza has been slower than anticipated, with Hamas citing challenges in locating all burial sites in the rubble.
The Hostages Family Forum has condemned Hamas for violating the agreement by not returning all hostage bodies. Israeli authorities have identified two of the deceased hostages returned from Gaza as Guy Illouz from Israel and Bipin Joshi from Nepal, both taken during the 2023 attack. The Israel-Palestine conflict has seen significant casualties, with ongoing efforts to identify and return victims to their families.