In a fourth transfer this week, Israel has received the remains of what is believed to be one of the last dead hostages held in Gaza.
Hamas transferred the remains to Israel through the Red Cross. If confirmed to be hostages, the bodies of the five deceased hostages will remain in Gaza.
The transfer of the dead hostages from Hamas to Israel is one of the key conditions of the first phase of the US-brokered ceasefire.
On Sunday, Israel received the bodies of Israeli-American Omer Neutra, as well as Assaf Hammami and Oz Daniel. Two days later, Israel received the body of Itai Chen, the last Israeli-American dual citizen whose remains were kept in Gaza. And on Wednesday, Hamas transferred the remains of Joshua Loitu Morel, a Tanzanian agricultural student who was abducted from Kibbutz Nahal Oz on October 7, 2023.
Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of U.S. Central Command, spoke at Neutra’s funeral in Israel on Friday. “Omer made the ultimate sacrifice that no soldier should ever make, but many soldiers still make the sacrifice for a nobler cause,” Cooper said. “We express our deepest condolences on the death of Mr. Omer.”
The Hostage and Missing Families Forum continues to organize rallies in Tel Aviv and across Israel calling for the release of the remaining deceased hostages. Eitan Horn, recently released after 738 days in captivity, said Saturday at Hostage Square: “We cannot begin our journey of healing and recovery as long as we know that we have family members who are not with us on this journey. Without the return of all hostages, we have no future.”
CNN reported earlier this week that Israel believes it has new information about the whereabouts of the longest-kept remains in the Gaza Strip, belonging to Lieutenant Hadar Goldin, who was killed in the final days of the 2014 war between Israel and Hamas. Two Israeli sources said Goldin’s body is likely being kept in Rafah, in southern Gaza, near an area where up to 200 Hamas militants are hiding in underground tunnels in Israeli-occupied territory.
