One Of The Three Hostage Bodies Still In Gaza Returned To Israel

Illustration of the return of the hostages' bodies in Gaza to Israel. (Source: Israeli Police)

JAKARTA - The body of one of the three hostages still in the Gaza Strip, Palestine was returned to Israel on Tuesday, but the body has not been named.

The Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad on Monday said it had found one of the bodies in the northern region of Nuseirat, central Gaza.

Tuesday afternoon, Israel expressed concern because the body had not been returned. Shortly thereafter, militant group Hamas announced it would return the body with Islamic Jihad.

The body was handed over to the Red Cross in central Gaza and then to Israeli forces Defense Forces (IDF) in the Gaza Strip, where a small ceremony led by a military palace was held, quoted from The Times of Israel November 26.

The coffin was then taken out of Gaza by troops, and police escorted it to the Abu Kabir forensic agency in Tel Aviv to be identified, a process officials say may take up to two days.

It is known that the three hostages' bodies are still in the Gaza Strip, namely two Israelis, Sergeant Major Ran Gvili and Dror Or, and a Thai resident Sudthisak Rintharak.

Israel and Hamas continue indirect negotiations mediated by Egypt, Qatar, the United States, and Turkey to resolve the situation in the Gaza Strip on October 6.

On October 9, the warring parties signed an agreement on the implementation of the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire plan proposed by US President Donald Trump. The ceasefire took effect from October 10.

As part of the ceasefire, Hamas and other Palestinian groups released all 20 surviving hostages. In addition, they must also return the bodies of 28 hostages who are still in Gaza.

If Tuesday's return is confirmed as a hostage, there are still two more bodies that have not been returned.