Palestinian militants have so far released the remains of 15 hostages that were held in Gaza for the past two years as part of the ceasefire agreement in the Israel-Hamas war. But the process of returning the bodies of the last 13 remaining hostages, as called for under the truce deal, has progressed slowly as militants release just one or two bodies every few days.
Hamas says it has not been able to reach all of the remains because they are buried under rubble left behind by Israel’s two-year offensive in the Gaza Strip. Israel has accused the militants of dragging their feet and threatened to resume military operations or withhold humanitarian aid if all of the remains are not returned.
Hamas last week freed the last 20 living hostages taken during its Oct. 7, 2023 attack on southern Israel in exchange for the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.
In return, Israel has so far released the bodies of 165 Palestinians back to Gaza. Israel didn’t provide any details on their identities, and it is unclear if they were killed in Israel during the attack on Oct. 7, Palestinian detainees who died in Israeli custody, or bodies that were taken from Gaza by Israeli troops during the war. Gaza’s Health Ministry has struggled to identify the bodies without access to DNA kits.
Here’s a look at the hostages whose remains have not been returned.
Sahar Baruch, 25
Sahar Baruch, from Kibbutz Be’eri, loved science, Dungeons & Dragons, the card game Magic: The Gathering and fantasy books. He competed in chess competitions and was set to begin an electrical engineering degree when he was abducted. He previously served in the military as a mechanic. He and his brother, Idan, were at their mother’s house on Oct. 7. Idan was killed in the attack.
Three months into Sahar’s captivity, the Israeli military said he was killed during an attempted rescue mission. He is survived by his parents and two other siblings.
Itay Chen, 19
Itay Chen was an Israeli American originally from Netanya, in central Israel, who was abducted along with two other members of his tank battalion: Daniel Peretz, who also died, and Matan Angrest, who survived and was released from captivity on Monday. Chen loved basketball and studying human biology, according the Hostages Families Forum.
Chen was killed on Oct. 7 and his body was taken to Gaza. His father, Ruby Chen, has met frequently with American leaders about getting all of the hostages returned to Israel, including the remains of the dead. Itay Chen is survived by his parents and two brothers.
Amiram Cooper, 84
Amiram Cooper was one of the founders of kibbutz Nir Oz, an economist and the author of three poetry books, according to the Hostages Families Forum. Cooper was abducted alive on Oct. 7 from Nir Oz along with his wife, Nurit, who was released after 17 days. Cooper was featured in a Hamas video, filmed under duress, with two other elderly hostages. In June 2024, Israel confirmed that Amiram had been killed. He leaves behind Nurit, three children and nine grandchildren.
Oz Daniel, 19
Oz Daniel was an Israeli soldier who was killed on Oct. 7. His body was taken from his tank along with three others. He was a gifted guitarist who started playing at age 9. He practiced long hours even during his army service and dreamed of being a professional musician. His favorite band was Guns N’ Roses, according to the Hostages Families Forum. He is survived by his parents and twin sister.
Meny Godard, 73
Meny Godard was a professional soccer player before enlisting in the Israeli military and serving in the 1973 Mideast War, according to Kibbutz Be’eri. He served in a variety of different positions in the kibbutz, including at its printing press.
On the morning of Oct. 7, Godard and his wife, Ayelet, were forced out of their home after it was set on fire. She hid in the bushes for a number of hours before militants discovered her and killed her. She was able to tell her children that Meny had been killed before she died. The family held a double funeral for the couple. They are survived by four children and six grandchildren.
Source : https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-gaza-hostages-remains-45a076b9f999ce79cc0041485acff2f8