Overview
- Israeli authorities said forensic experts confirmed the body delivered from Gaza is that of Israeli-American sergeant Itay Chen, and his family was formally notified.
- With this identification, 21 of the 28 deceased hostages have been returned, leaving seven remains still to be restituted.
- Hamas’s armed wing said the body was located in Gaza City’s Shujaiya neighborhood during ongoing search operations inside the designated buffer area.
- The International Committee of the Red Cross handed the coffin to the Israeli military and Shin Bet before it was escorted to the National Institute of Forensic Medicine for identification.
- The ceasefire that began on October 10 included a U.S-negotiated exchange in which Hamas freed the last 20 living hostages in return for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners, as Israel presses for remaining returns while Hamas cites bodies buried under rubble.