Israel army says Gaza bodies received on Oct 31 not of hostages
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A search in Gaza on Oct 28 for the bodies of dead hostages, kidnapped by Hamas during the October 2023 attack on Israel.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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JERUSALEM – Israel’s military said on Nov 1 that three bodies it received from Gaza via the Red Cross the previous night were not of hostages held in the Palestinian territory.
The Israeli military told AFP that a forensic analysis revealed the bodies were not those of any of the 11 dead captives still to be handed over as part of a US-brokered ceasefire deal
Among the 17 bodies already returned since the start of the ceasefire are those of 15 Israelis, one Thai and one Nepalese national.
Hamas said in a statement on Nov 1 that it had initially offered three samples from unidentified bodies to the Israeli authorities for testing. Israel refused the offer, it said, insisting on the full remains, a condition the group later agreed to.
After the start of the truce on Oct 10, Hamas returned the 20 surviving hostages
Israel accuses Hamas of reneging on the deal
