Israel recovers remains of 3 hostages from Gaza as fragile ceasefire holds
A member of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) accompanies lorries and heavy equipment which have been supplied by Egypt, as the search for the bodies of killed Israeli hostages resumes, in Gaza City on November 2, 2025. (Photo by Om
JERUSALEM - On Sunday, Israel announced that the bodies of three hostages had been returned from Gaza and would undergo examination by forensic experts, as a fragile ceasefire entered its second month.
What they're saying:
A Hamas statement earlier said the remains were found Sunday in a tunnel in southern Gaza.
Israel’s military said official identification of these remains would be provided to families first.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said earlier Sunday that "there are still pockets of Hamas" in parts of Gaza controlled by Israeli forces.
"There are actually two in Rafah and Khan Younis, and they will be eliminated," Netanyahu said during a Cabinet meeting.
Hamas hands over three more hostage bodies
The Israel military confirmed its forces in Gaza received coffins carrying the bodies of three hostages, conveyed through the Red Cross.
The backstory:
Since the ceasefire took effect on Oct. 10, Palestinian militants had released the remains of 17 hostages, with 11 remaining in Gaza, before Sunday's handover.
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Militants have released one or two bodies every few days. Israel has urged faster progress, and in certain cases it has said the remains aren’t of any hostage. Hamas has said the work is complicated by widespread devastation.
Israeli government briefing amid Gaza peace plan
Israeli government spokesperson Shosh Badrosian held a media briefing from Tel Aviv Wednesday where she addressed violations of the hostage release framework and ceasefire enforcement. The IDF says it has begun renewed enforcement of the ceasefire with Hamas after a series of strikes on terror targets in the Gaza Strip.
Local perspective:
Emotions around the remains have been high among families, who continue to rally weekly. On Saturday night, Moran Harari, a friend of the late Carmel Gat, urged Israel to have restraint.
"This cursed war has taken so many lives of dear people on both sides of the fence. This time, we must not fall into it again," Harari said during a rally in Jerusalem.
Israel in turn has been releasing the remains of 15 Palestinians for the return of the remains of an Israeli hostage.
Hamas releases only 8 bodies of Israeli hostages
We are now learning that Israel has identified two of the four deceased hostages whose coffins it received from Hamas on Monday. Hamas was supposed to hand over the remains of 28 deceased hostages by Monday. However, it was reported by The Times of Israel that the terror group said it would have trouble locating all the bodies. LiveNOW?s Josh Breslow is joined by Janatan Sayeh to discuss the latest updates from Gaza. Sayeh is a research analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.
Dig deeper:
Health officials in Gaza have struggled to identify bodies without access to DNA kits. Only 75 of the 225 Palestinian bodies returned since the ceasefire began have been identified, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which has posted photos of remains in the hope that families will recognize them.
RELATED: Israel, Hamas agree on 'first phase' to halt fighting, free hostages, Trump says
It is unclear if the Palestinians returned were killed in Israel during the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel that sparked the war, died in Israeli custody as detainees or were recovered from Gaza by troops during the war.
The exchange has been the central part of the initial phase of the U.S.-brokered ceasefire. The 20-point plan includes the formation of an international stabilization force of Arab and other partners that would work with Egypt and Jordan on securing Gaza’s borders and ensure the ceasefire is respected.
Multiple nations have shown interest in taking part in a peacekeeping force but called for a clear U.N. Security Council mandate before committing troops.
Other difficult questions include Hamas’ disarmament and the governance of a postwar Gaza, as well as when and how humanitarian aid will be increased.
Big picture view:
The deadliest and most destructive war ever fought between Israel and Hamas began with the Hamas-led 2023 attack that killed about 1,200 people and took 251 others hostage.
Israel’s military offensive has killed more than 68,600 Palestinians in Gaza, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which doesn’t distinguish between civilians and combatants. The ministry, part of the Hamas-run government and staffed by medical professionals, maintains detailed records viewed as generally reliable by independent experts.
Israel, which has denied accusations by a U.N. commission of inquiry and others of committing genocide in Gaza, has disputed the ministry’s figures without providing a contradicting toll.
The Source: The Associated Press contributed to this report. Information in this story comes from official statements by the Israeli government and military, a Hamas statement about the discovery of the remains, and remarks from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a Cabinet meeting. This story was reported from Los Angeles.