The Red Cross confirmed that it received the remains of another deceased hostage today. The Jerusalem Post reports that the body was discovered north of Nuseirat. It was also reported that Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad found the body yesterday and announced that it would be returned then, but this never happened.
The announcement came after the Prime Minister’s Office condemned PIJ’s refusal to return the remains earlier on Tuesday, saying that the move constitutes another violation of the ongoing Gaza ceasefire.
“In light of the Islamic Jihad’s announcement regarding the discovery of remains of a fallen hostage, Israel views with severity the delay in immediately transferring [the remains to Israeli] custody,” the statement read. “This constitutes another violation of the agreement.”
The PMO went on to demand the immediate return of the remains of the three remaining deceased hostages still being held in Gaza.
The remains have yet to be identified but are likely to be one of the three hostages still in Gaza: the IDF’s Ran Gvili and Dror Or, and Thai national Sudthisak Rinthalak. Once they are returned, then the peace plan will move into phase two, which will see Hamas disarmed and removed from Gaza. The terror group has made efforts to slow this effort down and has even engaged the IDF a couple of times on their side of the Yellow Line, further testing the ceasefire.
Each hostage return brings closure and reinvigorates the desire to heal and move forward in the Holy Land. However, we must never forget their stories and the terror they saw face-to-face. We praise God that the ceasefire held as it did despite the opposition and pray for the return of the two who remain in Gaza.
