The Red Cross handed over a casket, presumed to hold the remains of one slain hostage to Israeli troops working in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday. The exchange occurred after the Red Cross had collected the casket from Hamas in Gaza City earlier that morning.
After coming into Israeli hands, the casket was checked by the IDF, wrapped in the national flag and subjected to a brief ceremony of respect headed by a military rabbi. The remains were later transferred to the Abu Kabir Forensic Institute in Tel Aviv for identification. If confirmed, the body would bring the number of hostages still held in Gaza to seven.
Israel Hopes to Recover All Remaining Bodies
Israeli officials remain cautiously optimistic that all the remaining hostages bodies can eventually be retrieved. A report by Channel 12 suggested authorities think cooperation with mediating parties and continued ground operations could make full recovery possible.
🟡 The coffin of a deceased hostage, escorted by IDF troops, crossed the border into the State of Israel a short while ago and is on its way to the National Institute for Forensic Medicine, where identification procedures will be carried out.
IDF representatives are accompanying…
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) November 4, 2025
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Defence officials told the outlet that while the process will take time, Israel has already identified likely locations for at least four of the deceased hostages. “It will require persistence and coordination, but we expect to bring them all home for burial,” one official was quoted as saying.
Hamas Silent on Hostage’s Identity
It has not revealed whose body Hamas handed over. The group claimed to have retrieved the remains in Gaza City’s Shejaiya neighborhood is an area that has seen extremely heavy fighting. The Red Cross with its policy of neutrality assumed its traditional role as the intermediary in such transfers and let the IDF know of the transfer beforehand.
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IDF Expands Operations in Northern Gaza
While these humanitarian operations are ongoing, the IDF has meanwhile intensified its military actions in the north of the Gaza Strip. The army said it had uncovered and destroyed a hundreds of meters long tunnel network, as well as a rocket launching site in Shejaiya.
In a separate operation in Jabalia, troops from the 188th Armored Brigade and the elite Yahalom combat engineering unit destroyed another tunnel running deep beneath the ground. These actions, the IDF said, were part of its ongoing campaign to dismantle Hamas’s military infrastructure and prevent further attacks on Israel.
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Disclaimer: This article is based on verified news sources and official statements. Details may evolve as investigations and identifications continue.
