Israel receives coffin containing body of Gaza hostage, say Palestinian groups

Through the Red Cross, Israel has received a coffin that Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) assert contains the remains of one of the last two hostages who died in Gaza, according to the Israeli Prime Minister's office. The bodies will be transferred to Israel's National Institute of Forensic Medicine in Tel Aviv for official identification.

Earlier, PIJ's military wing reported discovering a hostage's body in northern Gaza. This delivery comes hours after tests revealed that another set of remains provided by Hamas on Tuesday did not belong to either of the deceased hostages.

The two men in question are Ran Gvili, a 24-year-old Israeli police officer, and Suthisak Rintalak, a 43-year-old Thai agricultural worker. Israeli and Thai officials confirm both were killed during the Hamas-led assault on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, and their bodies were subsequently taken to Gaza.

As part of the first phase of a US-mediated ceasefire effective from 10 October, Hamas agreed to return 20 living Israeli hostages and the bodies of 28 deceased Israeli and foreign hostages within 72 hours. All living hostages were released on 13 October in exchange for 250 Palestinian prisoners and 1,718 detainees from Gaza.

To date, Israel has received the remains of 23 Israeli hostages and three foreign hostages, including one each from Thailand, Nepal, and Tanzania. In return, Israel has transferred the bodies of 345 Palestinians killed during the conflict.

Israel has accused Hamas of intentionally delaying the return of hostages' bodies, while Hamas claims it is struggling to locate them amid rubble. This slow progress has stalled the second phase of President Donald Trump's Gaza peace plan, which involves Gaza governance, Israeli troop withdrawal, Hamas disarmament, and reconstruction efforts.

The two deceased hostages still in Gaza were among 251 individuals abducted by Hamas and its allies on 7 October 2023, during an attack that left approximately 1,200 people dead. Following the assault, Israel launched a military campaign in Gaza, where more than 70,100 fatalities have been reported by the Hamas-run health ministry.

Author: Aiden Foster