Israel claims 1 body returned by Hamas does not match hostages

The Israeli army claimed on Wednesday that one of four bodies returned by the Palestinian group Hamas a day earlier under a Gaza ceasefire agreement does not match any of the hostages.

“Following the completion of examinations at the National Institute of Forensic Medicine, the fourth body handed over to Israel by Hamas does not match any of the hostages,” a military statement said.

The army called on Hamas “to make all necessary efforts to return the deceased hostages.”

There was no immediate comment from the Palestinian group on the Israeli claim.

Hamas handed over the remains of four more Israeli hostages on Tuesday, a day after releasing 20 living Israeli hostages and transferring the bodies of four captives in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners under the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement.

Four more bodies are expected to be returned to Israel on Wednesday, according to Israel’s public broadcaster KAN.

Last week, US President Donald Trump announced that Israel and Hamas had agreed to the first phase of a plan he laid out on Sept. 29 to bring a ceasefire to Gaza, release all Israeli captives in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, and a gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from the entire Gaza Strip. The first phase of the deal came into force on Friday.

Phase two of the plan calls for the establishment of a new governing mechanism in Gaza, without Hamas’ participation, the formation of a multinational force, and the disarmament of Hamas.

Since October 2023, Israeli attacks have killed nearly 68,000 Palestinians in the enclave, most of them women and children, and rendered it largely uninhabitable.