Kiryat Gat: Israel’s military says Hamas has handed over the remains of two more hostages to the Red Cross in Gaza.
In a post on X, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said two coffins of deceased hostages had crossed into Israel, escorted by IDF troops, and were being taken to the National Institute for Forensic Medicine for identification.
Later, the IDF confirmed that the bodies were identified as 85-year-old Aryeh Zalmanovich and 38-year-old Master Sergeant (Res.) Tamir Adar, both from Kibbutz Nir Oz Zalmanovich was abducted alive by Hamas and believed to have been killed in captivity in November 2023, while Adar, a deputy security coordinator, was killed defending the kibbutz on October 7, 2023.
The IDF expressed condolences to the families and said efforts continue to recover all deceased hostages held in Gaza.
Since the ceasefire began on October 10, the remains of 13 hostages have been returned to Israel. After these latest remains arrive in Israel, another 13 still need to be recovered in Gaza and handed over.
On a visit to Israel Tuesday, US Vice President JD Vance urged a “little bit of patience” amid Israeli frustration with Hamas’ pace of returning the hostages.
“Some of these hostages are buried under thousands of pounds of rubble. Some of the hostages, nobody even knows where they are,” Vance said.
Israel is releasing 15 Palestinian bodies for the remains of each dead hostage, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
With inputs from Associated Press
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