Israeli security officials informed Vice President JD Vance on Thursday that Hamas is capable of handing over the bodies of most of the hostages who were murdered and remain in Gaza.
During a meeting attended by Defense Minister Yisroel Katz, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, and other senior defense figures, the Israeli delegation presented Vance with the latest intelligence assessment on the situation in Gaza. According to Kan public broadcaster, the officials “stated unequivocally” that Hamas can return the remains of at least 10 of the 13 hostages who are confirmed to have been killed, even before international recovery teams arrive in the Strip.
Israel has long been aware that Hamas might not be able to locate every body. Previous reports have suggested that several of the deceased hostages may never be found. An Israeli official quoted by CNN earlier this month said that between seven and nine bodies may be unrecoverable, while another assessment placed that number between 10 and 15.
Before the recent ceasefire, Hamas was holding the bodies of 28 hostages who were killed on or after October 7. Since then, the terror group has returned 15 of those bodies, in addition to releasing 20 hostages who survived captivity.
{Matzav.com}
