Jerusalem
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Israel on Sunday received the remains of three more deceased hostages held in Gaza, according to Hamas. The body was transferred to Israel through the Red Cross and will be taken to the country’s National Forensic Medical Laboratory for identification.
If the bodies are confirmed to be those of the three Israeli hostages, the bodies of eight deceased hostages will remain in Gaza.
The latest transfer of bodies came after Hamas handed over the bodies of two deceased hostages, identified as Amiram Cooper, 84, and Sahar Baluch, 25, on Thursday night.
Hamas also handed over the remains of three dead people over the weekend, but the remains were not identified as those of any of the deceased hostages, Israeli officials announced Saturday.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that Israel is committed to ensuring the return of all the dead hostages. At a weekly cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Netanyahu accused Hamas of being “a pathetic attempt to deceive us, the United States and the world. Of course it will fail and we will gradually bring back all the hostages.”
He added that Israel is still operating against “Hamas pockets” in Rafah and Khan Yunis, which are still under IDF control, and “we are systematically eliminating Hamas.”
This is a developing story and will be updated.
