Hamas has handed over two caskets believed to contain the remains of Israeli hostages to the Red Cross, who then transferred them to Israeli forces. The bodies were taken to a forensic institute in Tel Aviv for identification, as officials work to confirm if they are indeed hostages. Hamas claims it has returned all the deceased captives it could locate, but Israel maintains that the group still holds the remains of 19 hostages. The process of recovering additional bodies is complicated by the destruction in Gaza, with mediators warning it may take weeks to find all the remains. Israeli officials and United States advisers continue to press Hamas for more effort in locating and returning the bodies, while also working on mechanisms to encourage cooperation from local Gazans and international partners.

Original article source: https://www.timesofisrael.com/idf-receives-two-bodies-from-red-cross-hamas-claims-to-have-returned-all-dead-hostages-it-could-find/
Source Id: 8910945930