Israel receives remains of deceased hostage

Israel on Sunday received the remains of a deceased hostage held in Gaza that Palestinian militant group Hamas said were of an Israeli soldier killed in the territory more than a decade ago.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said in a statement the remains were handed over to Israeli forces in the Palestinian territory by the Red Cross.

There has not yet been formal identification.

Hamas’ armed wing had said it would hand over the body of Hadar Goldin, a military officer killed in an ambush in Gaza during the 2014 Israel-Hamas war.

Since an October 10 ceasefire came into effect in the war raging since 2023, Hamas has released 20 living hostages as part of United States President Donald Trump’s plan to end the war.

In exchange, Israel has freed nearly 2,000 Palestinian convicts and wartime detainees. The agreement also included handing over remains of 28 deceased hostages held in Gaza in exchange for the remains of 360 militants held by Israel.

Before Sunday, the bodies of 23 hostages had been handed over to Israel, which has transferred remains of 300 Palestinians, though not all have been identified, according to Gaza’s health authorities.

Palestinian militants took 251 hostages, living and deceased, in October 2023 when Hamas attacked Israel. Another four hostages were already being held in Gaza prior to that.