Red Cross teams are searching Gaza‘s ruins for deceased hostages who were held in Gaza after Israel warned Hamas it had until tonight to return the remaining bodies.
However, the International Committee of the charity said it may take considerable time to hand over the remains of hostages and detainees killed in the Israel-Hamas war.
It said it was a ‘massive challenge’ given the difficulties of finding bodies in Gaza’s rubble.
Palestinian militant group Hamas freed the last living Israeli hostages from Gaza on Monday under a ceasefire deal, and Israel sent home busloads of Palestinian detainees as U.S. President Donald Trump declared an end to the two-year war.
But only four coffins containing the remains of deceased hostages have so far been returned to Israel, leaving over 20 bodies yet to be located.
For its part, Israel is supposed to hand over an unspecified number of Palestinian bodies.
‘The search for human remains is obviously an even bigger challenge than having the people alive being released. That’s a massive challenge,’ ICRC spokesperson Christian Cardon said at a Geneva press briefing, adding it could take days or weeks.
‘I think there is clearly a risk that that will take much more time. What we are telling the parties is that that should be their top priority,’ he said on Tuesday.
The Geneva-based ICRC said it is providing an additional 23 staff, body bags and refrigerated vehicles to ensure the deceased are handled with respect and dignity within Gaza, which was reduced to widespread rubble by the war.
A team of Red Cross experts seen driving through Gaza today. They are moving towards the ‘Kissufim’, where they hope to find the remains of hostages who died in captivity
‘All parties must ensure that the return of human remains is done under dignified conditions, and uphold dignity and humanity,’ the ICRC added in a statement.
Cardon declined to discuss further details about the possible whereabouts of the deceased hostages, citing the sensitivity of the ongoing operation.
It is, however, feared that some of the remains may never be located.
Cardon praised the fact that the handover of the 20 living hostages on Monday was done discreetly, without a repeat of the Hamas-directed hostage release ceremonies of previous transfers.
The ICRC, a neutral humanitarian intermediary, has facilitated the transfer of 172 hostages and 3,473 Palestinian detainees since the war began on Oct. 7, 2023.
The Red Cross’ involvement in the search for bodies comes as the bereaved families of those killed in Gaza expressed anger that their loved ones’ remains were not returned.
The Israeli Hostages and Missing Families Forum called it a ‘blatant breach’ of the ceasefire and urged the government to take ‘immediate action’.
It said: ‘We expect Israel’s government and the mediators to take immediate action to rectify this grave injustice.’
‘The families of the deceased hostages are enduring especially difficult days filled with deep sorrow.
‘We will not abandon any hostage. The mediators must enforce the agreement’s terms and ensure Hamas pays a price for this violation.’
One of the stipulations of Donald Trump’s 20-point peace plan was that Hamas would release all hostages – dead or alive – within 72 hours of Israel agreeing to the deal.
It is now believed that some of the bodies have been lost and buried under the ruins of Gaza.
In addition to the Red Cross’ efforts, a joint multinational task force involving Israel, the US, Turkey, Qatar, and Egypt has been established to locate the bodies.
Authorities indicated that the task force would be deployed following the identification of the four bodies that Hamas sent.
Meanwhile, this morning, the IDF revealed that it had identified the four bodies. The military named 26-year-old Israeli national Guy Iluz and 22-year-old Nepalese agriculture student Bipin Joshi.
Today, the IDF revealed that Bipin Joshi was one of the deceased returned by Hamas yesterday. The Nepalese had entered Israel for an education program three weeks before Hamas’ attacks
Guy Illuz, 26, was also identified by the IDF. The army said he tried to hide in a tree but was later captured. He was wounded and alive when he was taken, but later died due to a lack of medical treatment
The other two were named in Israeli media as Yossi Sharabi and Daniel Perez.
Joshi had just arrived in Israel from Nepal just three weeks before the attacks. He was in the country for an agricultural training program.
He is said to have saved his friends by catching a grenade that was thrown by Hamas before he was captured by the group. The IDF said it believed he was killed ‘during the first months of the war’.
Illuz, meanwhile, was among those captured during the Nova music festival. He reportedly fled and hid in a tree before the militants took him.
Although he was wounded and captured alive, the IDF says he later succumbed to his wounds due to a lack of medical treatment while in captivity.
According to reports, some families who were expecting to be reunited with their loved ones were later told they had died.
Observers are now concerned that the peace plan to end the war may be at risk if the bodies of the dead are not recovered.
According to Israeli reports, Israel is reconsidering its decision to reopen the Rafah border crossing, following Hamas’ failure to return all dead hostages.
