Forensic tests reveal one body returned by Hamas was Palestinian, not Israeli

An Israeli security official briefing reporters on Wednesday morning said one of the four bodies returned to Israel overnight was not a hostage. He said experts at the National Centre of Forensic Medicine determined the remains belonged to a Palestinian.

The centre confirmed the identities of three other bodies as civilians Uriel Baruch and Eitan Levy, and Staff Sgt. Tamir Nimrodi.

Unlike Monday’s handover, Hamas did not specify the names of the dead.

In February, a body purporting to be Shiri Bibas was returned to Israel along with her two children, but a forensic examination determined that the body was a Palestinian. Terrorists murdered the sons, Ariel and Kfir with their bare hands, then mutiltated the bodies to make it look like they were killed in an airstrike. Hamas released Shiri’s remains the next day.

Under the terms of the ceasefire, Hamas is obligated to return the bodies of all the hostages — currently 23 — still in Gaza. It is believed Hamas will hand over more remains on Wednesday.

The recovery of missing Israeli bodies is being coordinated through Qatari, Turkish, and Egyptian mediators. Officials warn that locating and identifying all the remains will take time, as many are thought to be buried in unmarked graves or trapped beneath collapsed buildings. Hamas claims to know the locations of 14 of the 28 hostages confirmed killed, but Israeli security officials believe the terror group holds information than it has let on.

Around 1,200 people killed, and 252 Israelis and foreigners were abducted on Oct. 7, 2023.