Hamas Group Returns To Return Israeli Hostage Bodies

The Israeli military paid tribute to the coffin of Menye Godard. (Source: IDF)

JAKARTA - The militant group Hamas on Thursday returned to repatriating the hostages' bodies which were later confirmed by Israel, bringing the total body of the hostages still in the Gaza Strip, the Palestinians with only three bodies remaining.

The militant group Hamas and Islamic Jihad made announcements of plans to return one hostage body on Thursday.

In a joint statement, the body was said to have been found in the Khan Younis region of southern Gaza on Thursday.

The bodies were then handed over by militant groups to the red bars to be handed over to the Israeli military south of Gaza and immediately taken to the Abu Kabir forensic institute in Tel Aviv for identification.

After identification, the body that was repatriated was confirmed as Menyu Godard and the family had been notified of this repatriation.

Godard, 73, and his wife Ayelet, 63, were killed in an attack by an Islamic Jihad group allied with Hamas in Kibbutz Be'eri October 7, 2023 and his body was taken to Gaza.

In March, Israeli forces found Godard's belongings at an Islamic Jihad post in Rafah, southern Gaza. The items found at the post were brought to Israel and identified as Godard's property, but their bodies were still being held in Gaza.

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

With this repatriation, there are still three hostages in the Gaza Strip, namely two Israelis, Sergeant Major Ran Gvili and Dror Or, and a Thai resident Sudthisak Rintharak.

The head of Israel's Foreign Ministry declared the government "tightened, committed, and worked tirelessly" to bring back the three remaining hostages for burial, adding that Hamas was "required to fulfill its commitment to mediators and repatriate them as part of the implementation of the agreement."