Hamas’ military arm has released the remains of two more hostages in compliance with the ceasefire agreement with Israel, according to the Israel Defense Forces. The group stated that recovering the bodies of the remaining hostages would be a challenging task requiring specialized equipment. Hamas has already returned all living hostages and the bodies it was able to retrieve.
In a statement reported by Reuters, Hamas’ military wing mentioned that locating and retrieving the remaining hostages’ bodies in Gaza was demanding due to significant effort and specialized equipment needed, citing the widespread destruction in the area. The group reiterated its commitment to the ceasefire terms, emphasizing that it had already handed over all living hostages and the bodies it had managed to recover.
US President Donald Trump commented on the situation, describing the recovery process as “gruesome” during a press gathering. Trump mentioned that efforts were ongoing to locate the bodies, with some being found through digging in certain areas.
The Israel Defense Forces confirmed the transfer of the two hostages’ remains into Israel after they were handed over to the International Committee of the Red Cross. The IDF stated that the deceased hostages’ coffins were escorted by IDF and ISA forces and were on their way for identification procedures at the National Institute for Forensic Medicine.
Earlier, Hamas had handed over the bodies of four deceased Israeli hostages to the Red Cross after Israel’s threat to reduce humanitarian aid to Gaza. Trump also warned of potential escalation if Hamas did not comply with disarmament. Hamas had previously returned four other coffins, but some hostages are still missing.