Israel was preparing Wednesday evening for the transfer of additional bodies of Israeli hostages killed in captivity, as part of the ongoing deal to end the war in Gaza, with Hamas expected to return five bodies at 9 p.m., the Qatari-based outlet Al Araby reported, despite earlier estimates in Israel that only two would be handed over.
The development follows a misstep by Hamas the previous day, when one of four bodies transferred to Israel was found not to belong to an Israeli hostage, but to a Palestinian man — Khalil Dawas — suspected of collaborating with Israel. The mistaken transfer, which Israeli officials believe was likely unintentional due to the man wearing an IDF uniform, may have prompted Hamas to increase the number of bodies it plans to return.
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Red Cross convoy transfers remains of hostages back to Israeli territory
(Photo: REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas)
According to American officials familiar with the matter, Steve Witkoff, a U.S. President Donald Trump's envoy to the Middle East who played a key role in the release of living hostages, is “heavily involved” in the current negotiations. “He’s pushing hard and won’t let Hamas play games,” one official said. "There's pressure to increase the number of hostages returned. Hamas likely holds a high double-digit number of bodies, but recovery is expected to take time."
The officials noted that Egyptian intelligence is also assisting in the effort, given Cairo’s familiarity with Gaza’s terrain. Turkey, which is contributing forces to the emerging international monitoring mission, is also participating, though it reportedly lacks operational knowledge of the area.
Earlier Wednesday, the Palestinian Health Ministry confirmed that, in exchange for the return of three Israeli hostage bodies the previous night — those of Tamir Nimrodi, Uriel Baruch and Eitan Levy — Israel had released the bodies of 45 Palestinians. The exchange rate, based on the current deal framework, is 15 Palestinian bodies for every Israeli hostage killed in captivity.
Following overnight forensic identification, Israeli authorities confirmed that one of the four bodies received Tuesday did not match any known hostage. While this is not the first time Hamas has transferred the wrong remains, Israeli officials believe the latest error was likely due to confusion caused by the clothing of the deceased. “It’s preferable they bring a body that turns out to be a misidentification than delay handovers for full verification on their side,” an Israeli source said.
Meanwhile, despite earlier threats to impose penalties, Israel has opted not to sanction Hamas over the mistaken transfer. Instead, the Kerem Shalom crossing will remain open, and 600 aid trucks are expected to enter Gaza - double the originally planned number.
However, the Rafah crossing remains closed. While Israel announced Tuesday it was shuttered as a punitive measure, a security source said Wednesday that logistical challenges are also contributing to the delay. “We were prepared to open the crossing, but yesterday’s issue with the body led to a recommendation to keep it closed,” the source said. “There’s still no date for reopening.”
He added that reopening Rafah requires on-the-ground preparation and advance teams, which take time to coordinate. Given the mistaken body transfer, officials now believe the crossing will likely remain shut through Thursday as well.