Israel continues process of receiving hostages’ bodies from Hamas

Following the release of 20 surviving hostages in exchange for around 2,000 Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails, Hamas has begun gradually returning to Israel the bodies of hostages who were killed or died in captivity.

According to Israeli media, the bodies of four hostages were transferred to Israel on the evening of October 13 through representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross. The remains were taken to the Abu Kabir Institute of Forensic Medicine in Tel Aviv for identification.

The Israel Defence Forces urged the public to show patience and understanding, noting that the identification process must be completed before official confirmation can be given. The IDF said that the results would first be shared with the families of the deceased.

Hamas announced that the bodies handed over on October 13 included those of Israeli citizens Guy Ilouz, Yossi Sharabi, and Daniel Perez, as well as Nepalese national Bipin Joshi. However, Israeli authorities have not yet officially confirmed these identities. The names of the identified victims are expected to be publicly announced on October 14 or 15.

Nepalese student Joshi had not previously been confirmed by Israel to be dead, but authorities had expressed “grave concerns” for his well-being. According to Channel 12, the family of another hostage, Tamir Nimrodi—about whom Israel had also expressed grave concern—was informed on October 13 that he was now confirmed dead. However, this report was not officially confirmed, and the Hostages Families Forum said it had received no word of a change in his status. Nimrodi had long been presumed dead, particularly in recent days when Israeli officials indicated they were expecting the return of 20 living and 28 deceased hostages.

Ilouz was abducted from the Nova music festival and later died from his wounds in a Gaza hospital, apparently due to a lack of medical treatment. His death was confirmed in December 2023.

Perez, 22, a platoon commander in the 7th Armoured Brigade’s 77th Battalion from Yad Binyamin, was killed fighting Hamas on October 7, 2023. Sharabi, 53, the brother of freed hostage Eli Sharabi from Kibbutz Be’eri, was kidnapped from his home on October 7 and murdered while in captivity.

Officials have said that the identification process may take up to two days.

The IDF completed its withdrawal from the Gaza Strip by noon on October 17, initiating a 72-hour period of calm. In total, Israel released around 2,000 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the hostages.

By Tamilla Hasanova