Hamas’ military wing announced Thursday afternoon that it will hand over the remains of two Israeli hostages to Israel later in the day, setting the transfer time for 4:00 p.m. local time.
Israeli forces have already begun logistical and medical preparations to receive the bodies. Once transferred, the remains will be taken to the National Institute for Forensic Medicine in Abu Kabir, where experts will conduct official identification procedures.
At present, Hamas continues to hold the bodies of thirteen hostages in Gaza, a grim reminder of the human toll of the ongoing conflict.
Earlier this week, on Tuesday morning, Hamas reversed an earlier commitment to return one hostage’s body. The group claimed the change came after an IDF strike in Gaza that followed gunfire by Hamas operatives targeting Israeli troops engaged in engineering work in Rafah.
The same day, confusion arose over a previous transfer. The body that had been delivered to Israel the night before was initially believed to belong to one of the hostages whose remains had yet to be recovered. However, it was later discovered that the remains were those of hostage Ofir Sarfati, whose body had already been returned to Israel two years earlier.
Forensic testing conducted at the Abu Kabir Institute confirmed the identity of the remains, clarifying the mix-up and highlighting the sensitive and painstaking nature of the identification process.
{Matzav.com}
