The second phase of the Gaza agreement is stalled… The remains handed over to Israel do not belong to any hostage
The office of the Israeli Prime Minister announced that the remains delivered yesterday by Hamas do not belong to either of the last two hostages remaining in Gaza.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office ended, on Wednesday, the confusion that prevailed in Israel yesterday, confirming that forensic examinations concluded the remains are not related to either hostage.
There was a discrepancy within Israeli official institutions yesterday regarding the identification of the remains transferred by the Red Cross from the Gaza Strip.
After Netanyahu’s office announced it had received remains from Gaza, the Israeli Broadcasting Authority reported that the forensic institute indicated the examination results did not match the fallen soldier.
However, the Israeli Ministry of Health quickly denied the institute’s statements, saying in a communiqué: “Contrary to what has been published, the identification process at the National Forensic Institute is still ongoing,” adding that “the public must rely only on official sources.”
In a statement issued Wednesday, Netanyahu’s office said: “After the completion of the identification process at the National Forensic Institute, it was determined that the remains brought yesterday from the Gaza Strip for examination are not related to any of the deceased hostages.”
The remains of two hostages, one Israeli and one Thai, are still in Gaza.
If the two bodies are returned, Israel will have recovered all 20 living hostages and the 28 dead hostages who were held since October 7, 2023.
The return of the two bodies is expected to pave the way for the start of the second phase of US President Donald Trump’s plan, which includes deploying international stabilization forces in Gaza after a further Israeli withdrawal, initiating reconstruction, and disarming Hamas.
The International Committee of the Red Cross had stated that Hamas handed over on Tuesday the remains of one of the last two hostages still in Gaza, in accordance with the terms of the ceasefire agreement reached in October.
In this context, the Al-Quds Brigades, the armed wing of Islamic Jihad, said on Wednesday that they were searching for the body of a hostage in northern Gaza with a Red Cross team.
