The International Committee of the Red Cross said Friday it had “facilitated, at the request and with the agreement of the parties, the return of remains of three bodies to Israel.”
However, a forensic examination at Israel’s Abu Kabir Institute for Forensic Medicine determined the remains do not belong to any of the Israeli hostages still held in Gaza — or to any Israeli hostage at all.
Flag procession of residents at the Gama junction to receive the remains
“We’ve ruled out that the remains returned last night are linked to any Israeli hostage,” an Israeli official said Saturday morning. “This specific incident does not constitute a violation, as we initially assessed it was unlikely the remains were connected to the hostages. Still, we prefer Hamas send any findings for verification. Regardless, Hamas continues to violate its basic obligation by refusing to return the bodies.”
Residents of the Eshkol Regional Council gathered Friday at the Gama Junction near the Gaza border to accompany the convoy carrying the remains into Israel from the Strip. “Identification of the bodies is the responsibility of the relevant authorities in Israel and will be carried out by them,” the Red Cross said in a statement, adding that it does not play a role in locating the remains. “Under international humanitarian law, the responsibility to locate, collect, and return the dead lies with the parties to the conflict.”
On Thursday, Kibbutz Nir Oz confirmed that one of the two bodies returned to Israel this week was Amiram Cooper, the last hostage from the kibbutz. Minutes later, the Prime Minister’s Office announced that the second body was that of Sahar Baruch.
Earlier in the week, Hamas had claimed it located the remains of Cooper and Baruch in Gaza but refused to return them at the time, citing Israeli airstrikes in Rafah, where IDF reservist Staff Sgt. Efi Feldbaum was killed.
Israeli officials believe Hamas is deliberately stalling, using the hostages’ remains as bargaining chips while attempting to reassert control in Gaza and delay any future demilitarization efforts. With international negotiations over a postwar stabilization force still ongoing, Hamas is expected to leverage the bodies in talks with both Israel and the United States to improve its position in future discussions over Gaza’s reconstruction and governance.