Israel mentioned Thursday that militants have handed over the physique of one of many final 4 remaining hostages taken in the course of the Oct. 7, 2023, assault that launched the warfare in Gaza.
Israel recognized the returned physique as that of Meny Godard, who was kidnapped from Kibbutz Be’eri in southern Israel. His spouse, Ayelet, was killed in the course of the assault.
The armed wings of Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad mentioned Godard’s physique was recovered in southern Gaza.
Because the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas started on Oct. 10, the stays of 25 hostages have been returned to Israel. There are nonetheless three extra in Gaza that have to be recovered and handed over.
Godard was knowledgeable soccer participant earlier than enlisting within the Israeli army and serving within the 1973 Mideast Battle, in response to Kibbutz Be’eri. He served in a wide range of totally different positions within the kibbutz, together with at its printing press.
Israel has been releasing 15 Palestinian our bodies for the stays of every hostage as a part of the ceasefire settlement. The Gaza Well being Ministry mentioned the overall variety of stays obtained to this point is 315.
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Hamas has mentioned recovering our bodies is difficult by the widespread devastation in Gaza. Israel has pushed to hurry up the returns and in sure circumstances has mentioned the stays weren’t these of hostages.
Below the ceasefire deal, Hamas returned 20 residing hostages to Israel on Oct. 13. The additional exchanges of the useless are the central element of the preliminary part of the U.S.-brokered settlement which requires Hamas return all hostage stays as rapidly as attainable. The exchanges have gone forward whilst Israel and Hamas have accused one another of violating different phrases of the deal.
Israeli officers have accused Hamas of handing over partial stays in some cases and staging the invention of our bodies in others.
Hamas has accused Israel of opening fireplace at civilians and proscribing the circulation of humanitarian help into the territory. The variety of casualties has dropped because the ceasefire took impact, however officers in Gaza have continued to report deaths from strikes, whereas Israel has mentioned that troopers have additionally been killed in militant assaults.
Well being officers in Gaza have mentioned figuring out the stays handed over by Israel is difficult by an absence of DNA testing kits.
With simply three hostages left, the edges are near wrapping up the primary part of the ceasefire.
The subsequent components of the 20-point plan name for creating a world stabilization drive, forming a technocratic Palestinian authorities and disarming Hamas.
The delicate settlement goals to wind down the warfare that was triggered by the Hamas-led assault on southern Israel that killed about 1,200 individuals and noticed 251 taken hostage.
Israel responded with a sweeping army offensive that has killed greater than 69,100 Palestinians in Gaza, in response to Gaza’s Well being Ministry. The ministry, a part of the Hamas-run authorities and staffed by medical professionals, maintains detailed information considered as typically dependable by unbiased specialists.
Wafaa Shurafa in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, contributed to this report.
© 2025 The Canadian Press
