Israel says the latest remains returned by Hamas from Gaza are not hostages
JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel said Saturday that the remains of three people handed over by Hamas to the Red Cross in Gaza did not belong to any hostages, the latest setback to a U.S.-brokered ceasefire in the war between Israel and Hamas.
The handover came after Israel on Friday returned the bodies of 30 Palestinians to Gaza, in an exchange after activists handed over the remains of two hostages earlier in the week.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office confirmed that the remains of the three people do not belong to hostages. It was not clear who the remains belonged to.
Hamas’ military wing said it offered to hand over samples of unidentified bodies on Friday, but Israel refused and requested that the remains be examined.
The statement said: “We handed over the bodies to stop Israel’s claims.” Health officials in Gaza are struggling to identify the bodies without access to DNA kits.
Families and supporters of the hostages rallied again on Saturday evening to demand the return of all hostages. While Yael Adar, the mother of the late Tamir Adar, told a rally in Tel Aviv that “Hamas scum is mocking us,” Moran Harari, a friend of the late Carmel Gat, urged Israel to exercise restraint during a rally in Jerusalem.
“This damned war has claimed the lives of many dear people on both sides of the fence,” Harari said. “This time, we must not fall into it again.”
Ceasefire under pressure
Since the ceasefire came into effect on October 10, Palestinian militants have released the remains of 17 hostages. 11 remained in Gaza. The militants release one or two bodies every few days. She urged Israel to achieve faster progress. Hamas said the work was complicated by widespread destruction and the Israeli military presence in some areas.
Israel released the unidentified remains of 15 Palestinians in exchange for the remains of each Israeli hostage. The number of Palestinian bodies returned by Israel since the start of the ceasefire is 225 bodies. Only 75 bodies were identified by families, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health.
It is unclear whether those returned were killed in Israel during the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led attack on southern Israel that sparked the war, died in Israeli prisons as detainees or were recaptured by forces from Gaza during the war.
The fragile truce faced its biggest challenge earlier this week when Israel carried out strikes across Gaza that killed more than 100 people, following the killing of an Israeli soldier in Rafah, the southernmost tip of Gaza.
Questions about security
The Jordanian Foreign Minister warned on Saturday that Israel’s military presence in the Gaza Strip endangers the ceasefire.
Speaking at the Manama Dialogue Security Summit, Ayman Al-Safadi added that it was “necessary” to have a Palestinian police force responsible for maintaining security, supported by an international stabilization force mandated by the United Nations Security Council.
“With Israel remaining in Gaza, I think security will be a challenge,” Safadi said. “Israel cannot remain in 53% of Gaza and then expect to achieve security.”
The 20-point US peace plan includes the formation and deployment of an interim international stabilization force of Arab and other partners, which will work with Egypt and Jordan to secure the Gaza border and ensure respect for the ceasefire. The United States ruled out sending American soldiers to Gaza.
The visiting Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Dan Keane, met with Israeli officials on Saturday.
Multiple countries have shown interest in participating in the peacekeeping force but have called for a clear UN mandate before sending troops.
Other difficult questions include disarming Hamas, post-war management of the Gaza Strip, as well as when and how humanitarian aid will be increased.
Indonesia may participate in the peacekeeping force
Indonesia, the largest Islamic country in terms of population, has offered to send thousands of soldiers to Gaza.
“But the details, or the reference for this matter, are still unclear,” Indonesian Foreign Minister Sugiono, who like many Indonesians uses one name, said earlier this week.
He added: “There must be a mandate from the UN Security Council, and we hope it will be issued. There have not been any discussions yet, and we are far from settling any details.”
Indonesian officials also called for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state, but stressed the need to “recognize and guarantee the safety and security of Israel.”
The outcome of the war
The bloodiest and most destructive war ever between Israel and Hamas began with the 2023 Hamas-led attack that killed about 1,200 people and took 251 others hostage.
The Israeli military offensive led to the deaths of more than 68,600 Palestinians in Gaza, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants. The ministry, part of the Hamas-run government and staffed by medical professionals, maintains detailed records that independent experts generally consider reliable.
Israel, which has denied accusations of genocide in Gaza by a UN commission of inquiry and others, disputed the ministry’s figures without providing a contradictory tally.
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Associated Press writers Tokaa Ezz El-Din in Cairo, Jon Gambrell in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and Ninick Karmini in Jakarta, Indonesia, contributed to this report.
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Find more AP coverage of Israel and Hamas at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war
