Hostage Remains Transferred to Israel Amid Ongoing Identification Efforts

A coffin believed to contain the body of one of the last two deceased hostages held in Gaza has been delivered to Israel via the Red Cross, according to information from the Israeli prime minister’s office. This handover comes from Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), who assert the coffin holds the remains of a hostage.

Israeli authorities are now transporting the remains to the National Institute of Forensic Medicine in Tel Aviv for a thorough identification process. Earlier, the military wing of PIJ had announced the discovery of a hostage’s body in northern Gaza.

This development follows closely after the Israeli prime minister’s office revealed that earlier tests conducted on another set of remains, received from Hamas on Tuesday, did not match either of the two outstanding deceased hostages. Millenium TV understands that the two individuals still unaccounted for are Ran Gvili, a 24-year-old Israeli police officer, and Suthisak Rintalak, a 43-year-old Thai agricultural worker.

Both men were reportedly killed during the Hamas-led assault on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, with their bodies subsequently taken into Gaza, as confirmed by Israeli and Thai officials.

The initial phase of the US-brokered ceasefire agreement, which commenced on October 10, mandated Hamas to release 20 living Israeli hostages and the bodies of 28 deceased Israeli and foreign hostages within 72 hours. All living hostages were released on October 13, in exchange for 250 Palestinian prisoners and 1,718 detainees from Gaza.

To date, the remains of 23 deceased Israeli hostages have been repatriated, alongside three foreign hostages, including one Thai, one Nepalese, and one Tanzanian national. In return, Israel has handed over the bodies of 345 Palestinians who died during the conflict.

Millenium TV has learned of accusations from Israel that Hamas has deliberately delayed the recovery of hostage bodies. Conversely, Hamas maintains that it faces significant challenges in locating remains amidst the rubble. This slow progress has stalled any advancement on the second phase of President Donald Trump’s Gaza peace plan, which includes provisions for Gaza’s governance, the withdrawal of Israeli troops, Hamas disarmament, and reconstruction efforts.

The two deceased hostages still in Gaza were among the 251 individuals abducted by Hamas and its allies during the October 7, 2023, attacks, which also resulted in approximately 1,200 other fatalities. Israel’s subsequent military campaign in Gaza has led to over 70,100 deaths, according to figures from the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry.