Hamas Returns The Bodies Of Two Gaza Hostages To Israel

Israeli soldiers saluted the coffins of the hostages Amiram Cooper and Sahar Baruch. (Source: IDF)

JAKARTA - The Palestinian militant group Hamas returned the bodies of two hostages in the Gaza Strip to Israel through an intermediary for the Red Cross on Thursday.

The Hamas military wing on Thursday announced plans to return the hostages' bodies in Gaza at 16:00 p.m. local time, quoted from The Times of Israel Oct. 31.

Israel Defense Forces (IDF) later said the two bodies were picked up by the Red Cross in the central Gaza Strip region.

After that, the body was handed over to the IDF which then took it to the Abu Kabir forensic institute in Tel Aviv to undergo the identification process

After identification, the two bodies were confirmed as hostages on behalf of Amiram Cooper (85) and Sahar Baruch (25). The military representative then informed the family about this repatriation.

Cooper was kidnapped from his home in Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7, 2023, and died in detention, the IDF confirmed in June 2024.

Meanwhile, Much was kidnapped in Kibbutz Be'eri during the attack and killed on an IDF hostage rescue mission that failed in December 2023.

"The Israeli government expresses deep condolences for the Cooper and Baruch families, as well as the entire family of the hostages who died," the Prime Minister's Office said in a statement.

Israel declared its "integrated, committed, and working tirelessly" to bring back the remaining 11 hostages for burial, adding Hamas "required to fulfill its commitment to mediators and repatriate them as part of the implementation of the agreement."

With confirmation of the return of the bodies this time, it is estimated that there are still 11 hostages still in the Gaza Strip.