CAIRO (Reuters) -Israel on Sunday received the remains of a deceased Israeli soldier who was killed in Gaza 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, confirming his identity in a later statement.
Hamas’ armed wing had earlier 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.
BODIES OF 24 HOSTAGES NOW HANDED TO ISRAEL
Since an October 10 ceasefire came into effect in the war raging since 2023, Hamas has released 20 living hostages as part of U.S. President Donald Trump’s plan to end the conflict.
In exchange, Israel has freed nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners 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.
With the latest release, the bodies of 24 hostages have been handed over to Israel, while four bodies remain in Gaza.
Israel has also transferred the 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.
(Reporting by Menna Alaa El-Din and Ahmed Tolba; Additional reporting by Jaidaa Taha; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne and David Holmes)
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