Eleven days after the body of Meny Godard was returned to Israel, Qatar-based Al Jazeera reported Monday that remains found in northern Nuseirat in central Gaza appear to belong to an Israeli hostage who had been held by Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorists.
Three slain hostages are still in Gaza: Sgt. First Class Ran Gvili, Dror Or and Thai national Sudthisak Rinthalak. Israeli officials say recovery efforts remain extremely difficult after two years of heavy fighting in the Strip.
Israelis remain divided over how to confront Hamas, which has yet to return the three as required under the ceasefire agreement brokered by U.S. President Donald Trump.
An Israeli official familiar with the issue said last week there is “a real effort and an authentic difficulty” in retrieving the bodies. Other officials, however, say they see a decline in Hamas’ motivation to comply. They noted that these three cases are “the most complex of all the fallen.”
Another official added that although progress is slow, “at this stage we do not believe this is deliberate stalling or deception.”