Unidentified remains: the false bodies deepen Hamas’s predicament
Israeli authorities announced on Saturday that forensic analyses conducted at the National Institute of Forensic Medicine confirmed that the human remains handed over to Israel on Friday evening by the International Committee of the Red Cross did not belong to any of the deceased Israeli hostages.
A statement issued by the International Committee of the Red Cross said the organization had assisted, at the request and with the consent of both parties, in transferring the remains of three bodies to the Israeli authorities, emphasizing that “the process of identifying the bodies falls under the sole responsibility of the competent Israeli authorities and will be carried out by them.”
According to Israeli media reports, laboratory tests revealed that the samples delivered to the forensic institute did not match any of the dead Israeli hostages whose bodies are still being held by Hamas. The movement is believed to be keeping the remains of eleven hostages inside the Gaza Strip.
The incident reignited tensions between Israel and Hamas. Israeli outlets accused the group of “continuing its dirty games,” claiming it was “using the issue of the bodies for political and media bargaining.”
This development comes just days after Israel announced the recovery of the bodies of two slain hostages, Amiram Cooper and Saher Baruch, whose identities were confirmed through forensic examinations.
Cooper, aged 85, was one of the founders of the Nir Oz kibbutz. He was abducted during the October 7, 2023 attack and killed in captivity. Baruch, who had been taken alive from the Be’eri kibbutz, was later killed during a failed rescue attempt.
In an official statement, the Nir Oz kibbutz confirmed the reburial of Cooper’s remains, paying tribute to his long career as an economist, farmer, poet, and pioneer of settlement in the western Negev.
The office of the Israeli Prime Minister also issued a statement saying: “After the identification process was completed by the National Forensic Center in cooperation with the police and the military rabbinate, the families of the two slain hostages, Amiram Cooper and Saher Baruch, were notified of the return of their loved ones’ remains to Israel.”
The statement added that the Israeli government “shares the deep sorrow of the Cooper and Baruch families” and “will continue efforts to recover the bodies of the remaining captives still held in the Gaza Strip.”
