Israel received the body of an Israeli hostage from Hamas and Islamic Jihad on Friday evening, transferred via the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). The remains were handed over near the Gaza border and are being transported to the Abu Kabir National Center of Forensic Medicine for identification.
A statement from the Prime Minister’s Office said that once the identification process is complete, an official notification will be delivered to the family.
Hundreds of residents of the Eshkol Regional Council gathered at the Gama Junction in southern Israel to accompany the convoy carrying the casket to Abu Kabir. Among them were relatives of Tal Chaimi and Sharon Calderon, the sister-in-law of freed hostage Ofer Calderon.
According to Hamas, the body was found in Khan Younis, in southern Gaza. Earlier in the day, Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem said the group was working to transfer all remaining hostages’ bodies but cited “significant challenges and complications” in the process.
Six hostages’ bodies are still believed to be held in Gaza: Dror Or, Ran Gvili, Meny Godard, Sontisek Rintalk, Lior Rudaeff, and Hadar Goldin.
The transfer marks a rare instance of cooperation between Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and international mediators under the supervision of the Red Cross, amid ongoing efforts to account for the remaining hostages and victims of the war.