Overview
- Israeli authorities identified the remains as Lt. Omer Neutra, Cpl. Oz Daniel and Lt. Col. Assaf Hamami, all killed on Oct. 7, 2023.
- With these identifications, officials say roughly eight deceased hostages are still believed to be in Gaza.
- The International Committee of the Red Cross transported the coffins from Gaza to Israeli forces, and Israel’s National Center for Forensic Medicine completed the identifications.
- The confirmation follows a disputed handover two days earlier in which three bodies were found not to be Israeli hostages, intensifying mistrust over the process.
- Under the ceasefire’s exchange terms, Israel has returned large numbers of Palestinian bodies, while families and officials press Hamas to speed recoveries it says are slowed by devastation and limited forensic resources.