Israel has received the remains of three hostages from the Red Cross in Gaza, the Prime Minister's Office said on Sunday evening, with the bodies taken to the Tel Aviv Forensic Center for identification.
Hamas said Sunday it will hand over the bodies of three Israeli hostages at 8 p.m., hours after reports that the group sought to evacuate about 200 of its terrorists from Rafah under a proposal rejected by Israel.
The Qatar-based Al Jazeera network reported that mediators were working with both sides to arrange a “safe passage” for the Hamas terrorists through secured humanitarian corridors, possibly using Red Cross vehicles. The plan, according to the report, aimed to prevent direct clashes between the terrorists and Israeli forces and allow them to return to Hamas-controlled areas of Gaza.
Hamas, the report said, had agreed to the proposal and was awaiting Israeli approval. Israeli officials, however, said the terror organization was attempting to “smuggle out” hundreds of terrorists from Rafah under the guise of humanitarian coordination.
Security officials believe the timing of Hamas’ announcement — including the publication of one of the hostages’ names — was deliberate. They suspect the terror group is using the discovery of the hostages’ bodies as leverage to secure concessions from Israel.
Rafah, at Gaza’s southern edge, was the site of two of the most serious ceasefire violations since the truce took effect. In the first, Maj. Yaniv Kola and 2nd Lt. Itay Yavetz were killed. In the second, Master Sgt. (res.) Yona Efraim “Efi” Feldbaum fell in battle. Hamas at the time denied responsibility for the terrorists operating in Rafah, claiming they were outside its control because they were on the Israeli side of the line.
Israeli defense officials said they would not permit any arrangement that allows armed Hamas operatives to return to territory under the group’s control, calling such a move a “red line.”
First published: 17:49, 11.02.25