Israel says it received remains of 3 hostages from Hamas in Gaza as fragile ceasefire holds

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel on Sunday announced that the remains of three hostages had been handed over from Gaza and would be examined by forensic experts, as a fragile month-old ceasefire held.

A Hamas statement earlier said the remains were found Sunday in a tunnel in southern Gaza.

Since the ceasefire took effect on Oct. 10, Palestinian militants had released the remains of 17 hostages, with 11 remaining in Gaza, before Sunday’s handover.

Militants have released one or two bodies every few days. Israel has urged faster progress, and in certain cases it has said the remains aren’t of any hostage. Hamas has said the work is complicated by widespread devastation.

READ MORE: Israel says latest remains Hamas returned from Gaza are not of hostages, straining ceasefire

Israel’s military said official identification of these remains would be provided to families first.

Emotions around the remains have been high among families, who continue to rally weekly. On Saturday night, Moran Harari, a friend of the late Carmel Gat, urged Israel to have restraint.

“This cursed war has taken so many lives of dear people on both sides of the fence. This time, we must not fall into it again,” Harari said during a rally in Jerusalem.

Israel in turn has been releasing the remains of 15 Palestinians for the return of the remains of an Israeli hostage.

Health officials in Gaza have struggled to identify bodies without access to DNA kits. Only 75 of the 225 Palestinian bodies returned since the ceasefire began have been identified, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which has posted photos of remains in the hope that families will recognize them.

It is unclear if the Palestinians returned were killed in Israel during the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel that sparked the war, died in Israeli custody as detainees or were recovered from Gaza by troops during the war.

The exchange has been the central part of the initial phase of the U.S.-brokered ceasefire. The 20-point plan includes the formation of an international stabilization force of Arab and other partners that would work with Egypt and Jordan on securing Gaza’s borders and ensure the ceasefire is respected.

Multiple nations have shown interest in taking part in a peacekeeping force but called for a clear U.N. Security Council mandate before committing troops.

Other difficult questions include Hamas’ disarmament and the governance of a postwar Gaza, as well as when and how humanitarian aid will be increased.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said earlier Sunday that “there are still pockets of Hamas” in parts of Gaza controlled by Israeli forces.

“There are actually two in Rafah and Khan Younis, and they will be eliminated,” Netanyahu said during a Cabinet meeting.

The deadliest and most destructive war ever fought between Israel and Hamas began with the Hamas-led 2023 attack that killed about 1,200 people and took 251 others hostage.

Israel’s military offensive has killed more than 68,600 Palestinians in Gaza, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which doesn’t distinguish between civilians and combatants. The ministry, part of the Hamas-run government and staffed by medical professionals, maintains detailed records viewed as generally reliable by independent experts.

Israel, which has denied accusations by a U.N. commission of inquiry and others of committing genocide in Gaza, has disputed the ministry’s figures without providing a contradicting toll.