Overview

• Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said the remains were delivered via the International Committee of the Red Cross and transferred to the IDF and Shin Bet for processing.
• Forensic authorities had already identified the four bodies returned on October 13, with the military publicly naming Gai Iluz and Bipin Joshi.
• The army said Iluz was wounded and abducted from the Nova music festival on October 7, 2023, and died in captivity without proper medical care, while Joshi, a Nepalese student, was believed killed in the early months of the war.
• Under the ceasefire, Hamas earlier released 20 living hostages, and Israeli officials say that if the latest identifications are confirmed, 20 additional sets of remains still must be returned.
• Israeli leaders criticized the initial return of only four of the 28 bodies, and Defense Minister Israel Katz warned of consequences if further transfers are delayed.