Israel confirmed on on Thursday that the bodies of two more deceased hostages were returned by Hamas as part of the fulfillment of the fulfillment of the ceasefire and Middle East peace deal. While Hamas has returned the remains of nine deceased Israeli hostages, 19 deceased hostages still remain missing.
The Israel Defense Forces announced on Thursday that the bodies of 27-year-old Inbar Hayman and 39-year-old Sgt. Maj. Muhammad Al-Atresh were returned to Israel on Thursday. According to Fox News, Hayman was the last female hostage held by Hamas in Gaza. Meanwhile, the Israel Defense Forces noted that Al-Atresh served in the Israeli military as a tracker.
“The IDF expresses deep condolences to the families and continues to make every effort to return all hostages to their families for a proper and dignified burial,” the Israel Defense Forces said. “Hamas is required to fulfill its part of the agreement and make the necessary efforts to return all the hostages to their families and to a dignified burial.”
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Sharing pictures of the two Israeli hostages, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz confirmed that Hayman was murdered by Hamas terrorists on October 7, 2023, while Al-Atresh “fell in battle after heroically defending” other soldiers.
“On behalf of the entire defense establishment, I extend my condolences to the families of Inbar Haiman and Master Sergeant Muhammad Alatrash, who have been returned to Israel for burial on Israeli soil,” Katz tweeted. “The State of Israel is committed to bringing home all the hostages and the fallen.”
According to Fox News, Hamas has also released the remains of Staff Sgt. Tamir Nimrodi, Capt. Daniel Peretz, Guy Illuz, Bipin Joshi, Uriel Baruch, Yossi Sharabi, and Eitan Levi. The outlet noted that the 19 deceased hostages still remaining in Gaza include 19-year-old Itay Chen and 21-year-old Omer Neutra, two U.S. citizens.
The New York Post reported that Hamas has claimed that it is not able to recover the bodies of the other 19 Israeli hostages still missing.
According to Reuters, the return of some of the deceased hostages was completed by Hamas earlier this week after Israeli officials threatened to restrict aid and only allow half of the number of aid trucks into Gaza. The Israeli officials accused Hamas of breaking the ceasefire deal by failing to return the remains of all the Israeli hostages.
