Israel-Gaza Ceasefire: Hamas Can't Find Remaining Hostages 🕊️

The International Committee for the Red Cross (ICRC) has confirmed that the remains of two more Israeli hostages have been transferred from Gaza.

"The ICRC tonight facilitated the transfer of two deceased hostages to Israeli authorities, acting as a neutral intermediary between the parties, at their request and with their agreement," the organisation said in a statement on Wednesday night.

Confirming the transfer, Hamas’ military wing indicated that it may not be able to hand over any more remains.

In a statement on Wednesday, the Al-Qassam Brigades said: “The resistance has adhered to what was agreed upon and has handed over all the living prisoners it has and the bodies it can access.

“As for the remaining bodies, they require significant efforts and special equipment to search for and retrieve them, and we are making great efforts to close this file.”

The transfer of two more bodies came hours after the Israeli military said that one of the four bodies released by Hamas overnight did not match any of those who were taken by Hamas on October 7, 2023.

The confusion has added to tensions over the fragile truce that has paused the two-year war.

The remains were examined at Israel's National Institute of Forensic Medicine and appear to be those of a Palestinian from Gaza, a source told ITV News' US partner CNN.

The source added that initial assessments suggest Hamas misidentified the body, rather than intentionally sending the wrong one.

In a statement, the IDF said: "Hamas is required to make all necessary efforts to return the deceased hostages."

The three other bodies returned overnight into Wednesday have been identified as Eitan Levi, 53, Tamir Nimrodi, 20, and Uriel Baruch, 35.

The militant group returned all 20 living hostages by the deadline; however, of the 28 dead hostages, only nine have been returned, with a tenth set of remains disputed.

As part of the ceasefire deal, Israel also freed around 1,900 Palestinian detainees on Monday, including 250 serving life sentences for attacks on Israelis and 1,700 others who had been captured from Gaza during the war and held without charge.

Israel also handed over the bodies of 45 Palestinians on Wednesday. The bodies of 90 Palestinians have now been transferred. It was unclear whether the deceased had died in Israeli custody or had been taken from Gaza by Israeli troops.

Under the White House's published peace plan, Israel is expected to release 15 Palestinian bodies for every living hostage released by Hamas.

Forensic experts in Gaza have begun identifying the remains, which were returned without documentation.

The forensics team said some arrived still shackled or bearing signs of physical abuse.

Sameh Hamad, a member of a commission tasked with receiving the bodies at Khan Younis' Nasser Hospital, said some arrived with their hands and legs cuffed.

"There are signs of torture and executions," he told The Associated Press.

The bodies, he said, belonged to men ages 25 to 70. Most had bands on their necks, including one that had a rope around the neck. Most of the bodies wore civilian clothing, but some were in uniforms, suggesting they were militants.

Israel is expected to transfer more bodies in the coming days, although the total number has not yet been confirmed.

Hazem Kassem, a spokesperson for Hamas, said on the Telegram messaging app on Wednesday that the group was working to return the bodies of the hostages as agreed in the ceasefire deal.

In response to delays in handing over the bodies, Israel said it would reduce or delay the number of humanitarian aid trucks allowed into Gaza.

Olga Cherevko, a spokesperson for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Gaza, said: “We have received this communication from the Israeli authorities and of course we continue to encourage the parties to adhere to the agreements set out in the ceasefire parameters.”

The World Food Program has since said that its trucks had begun arriving inside Gaza for the first time. Crossings had been closed for two days due to the release of hostages and prisoners exchange between Israel and Hamas.

Scaling up humanitarian aid into Gaza is one of the key parts of the ceasefire deal. The WFP has said that fewer than 200 aid trucks made it through on Sunday.