The IDF and the Shin Bet security service said Tuesday that the body of a deceased hostage has now been transferred into Israeli custody after being handed over by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in the central Gaza Strip.
According to a joint statement, the coffin was received by IDF troops in the Gaza Strip and crossed the border into Israel shortly afterward. It arrived at the National Center for Forensic Medicine in Tel Aviv around 7 p.m., where formal identification and examination procedures are now underway.
Residents of the Eshkol region line the Gama Junction to pay their respects as the military convoy carrying the body of a returned hostage travels north for identification
The hostage’s body was originally transferred to the ICRC by Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad on Tuesday afternoon. The Red Cross then passed the coffin to Israeli forces inside Gaza.
As the military convoy made its way north, more than 100 residents from the Eshkol Regional Council and surrounding communities gathered at the Gama Junction to pay their respects.
The Health Ministry said the forensic center will work to determine the identity of the deceased as well as the cause and circumstances of death. “The medical staff — including forensic pathologists and laboratory personnel — are prepared to provide answers as quickly and sensitively as possible,” the ministry said in a statement. “These are highly sensitive moments for the returnees and their families, and we urge the public to respect their privacy.”
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A Hamas gunman stands beside an International Committee of the Red Cross vehicle as Red Cross teams work to locate the bodies of hostages in eastern Gaza, Nov. 13, 2025
(Photo: AP Photo/Jehand Alshrafi)
Officials reiterated that Hamas remains obligated under existing agreements to return all deceased hostages and must take the necessary steps to fulfill that commitment.
Earlier, Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) said that they will hand over the body of an Israeli hostage at 4 p.m., after announcing earlier in the day that the remains were located in central Gaza.
PIJ said Monday it had found the body in the Nuseirat area, but until the joint statement, the group had not contacted the ICRC to coordinate the transfer. Israeli officials said earlier that the delay constituted a breach of the ceasefire agreement. “Islamic Jihad is stalling. Without consequences for such violations, they feel no urgency to return the body,” one official said.
Before the terror groups’ announcement, the Prime Minister’s Office said Israel “views with severity the delay in immediately transferring the remains. This is another violation of the agreement. Israel demands the immediate return of the three slain hostages still held in Gaza.”
Three deceased hostages remain in Gaza: Dror Or, Sudthisak Rinthalak and Staff Sgt. Ran Gvili. Under the agreement reached last month through mediators, Palestinian factions were to return the bodies within several days. Hamas says widespread destruction after nearly two years of fighting has complicated recovery efforts.
On Monday, 11 days after the remains of the previous hostage, Meny Godard, were returned to Israel, Islamic Jihad said it had located another body after five days of searching. “We found today the corpse of one of the enemy’s captives during search and excavation in an area under Israeli army control in central Gaza,” the group’s military wing said.
An Israeli official familiar with the issue said last week there was “a genuine effort and an authentic difficulty” in locating and returning the bodies. “At this stage, we do not believe the delay is intentional or deceptive,” the official said.
Other Israeli officials, however, said they see a decline in Hamas’ motivation to comply with the agreement. They noted that while Hamas appears less willing than before to fulfill its commitments, the three remaining cases are “the most complex of all.”
First published: 13:58, 11.25.25