Israel has received a coffin that Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad claim holds the body of a hostage taken during the October 7 attacks. The remains, found in Khan Younis, were transferred via the Red Cross for identification. The exchange is part of a U.S.-brokered ceasefire under which hostages and prisoners have been swapped. Both sides accuse each other of breaching the truce as violence continues. Since October 7, over 68,000 people in Gaza and 1,200 in Israel have been killed, deepening the region’s humanitarian crisis.
Israel Receives Coffin Believed to Contain Body of Hostage from Gaza
Israel has received a coffin that Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad claim contains the body of a hostage taken during the October 7 attacks, according to the Israeli military.
Hamas’s armed wing, the al-Qassam Brigades, said the body was discovered on Friday in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis. The remains were handed over to Israel through the International Committee of the Red Cross for formal identification.
The transfer marks the latest exchange under the first phase of a U.S.-brokered ceasefire deal launched on October 10. Prior to this, Hamas had released all 20 living hostages and returned 22 out of 28 deceased captives. Of the six remaining bodies still in Gaza, five are Israeli nationals and one is Thai.
Israeli officials have repeatedly criticized Hamas for failing to return all the remains, while the group has insisted that locating bodies buried under rubble has been difficult amid ongoing Israeli bombardments.
As part of the initial phase of the ceasefire, Israel freed 250 Palestinian prisoners held in its jails and released 1,718 detainees from Gaza. In addition, Israel handed over the bodies of 285 Palestinians in exchange for the remains of 19 Israeli hostages and three foreign nationals — a Thai, a Nepalese, and a Tanzanian citizen.
The truce agreement also included a partial withdrawal of Israeli troops, a pause in military operations, and an increase in humanitarian aid entering Gaza. However, both sides have accused each other of violating the terms, as sporadic violence and air strikes continue.
Israel launched a new round of air raids after accusing Hamas fighters of killing two Israeli soldiers on October 19 and another on October 28. Hamas denied involvement in both incidents, saying it was unaware of clashes in one area and had no connection to the other.
Since the start of the ceasefire, at least 241 people have been killed in Israeli military operations across Gaza, according to the Hamas-run health ministry — figures that the United Nations considers broadly reliable.
The current escalation stems from Hamas’s surprise assault on October 7, 2023, when armed militants stormed southern Israel, killing around 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages. According to Israeli authorities, all but one of the dead hostages whose bodies remain in Gaza were abducted during that attack.
The Gaza health ministry reports that Israeli strikes have since killed at least 68,875 people in the enclave, deepening what the UN has called one of the worst humanitarian crises in recent memory.