Key points: Hamas handed over human remains to Israel via the ICRC in the fourth such transfer this week; forensic confirmation is pending. If verified, five deceased hostages would remain in Gaza. Earlier transfers included Omer Neutra, Asaf Hamami, Oz Daniel, Itay Chen and Joshua Loitu Mollel. Families and advocacy groups continue to call for the return of all hostages, and Israeli sources say Lt. Hadar Goldin’s remains may be in Rafah.
Fourth Transfer This Week: Israel Receives Remains Believed to Be Deceased Hostage from Gaza
Key points: Hamas handed over human remains to Israel via the ICRC in the fourth such transfer this week; forensic confirmation is pending. If verified, five deceased hostages would remain in Gaza. Earlier transfers included Omer Neutra, Asaf Hamami, Oz Daniel, Itay Chen and Joshua Loitu Mollel. Families and advocacy groups continue to call for the return of all hostages, and Israeli sources say Lt. Hadar Goldin’s remains may be in Rafah.
09:03, 08.11.2025Conflict
Israel receives remains believed to be of another deceased hostage in fourth transfer this week
Israel has received human remains that Hamas transferred via the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), which are reported to belong to one of the last deceased hostages held in Gaza. If forensic testing confirms the identity, only five bodies of deceased hostages would remain in Gaza.
The return of remains is a central element of the first phase of the US-brokered ceasefire terms and has been the subject of intense diplomatic and humanitarian focus.
Earlier in the week Israel took custody of several other remains: on Sunday the bodies of Israeli-American Omer Neutra and of Asaf Hamami and Oz Daniel were received. Two days later, authorities said they had received the body of Itay Chen, the last Israeli-American dual national whose remains had been held in Gaza. On Wednesday, Hamas handed over the remains of Joshua Loitu Mollel, a Tanzanian agricultural student who was abducted from Kibbutz Nahal Oz on October 7, 2023.
Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of US Central Command, spoke at Neutra’s funeral, saying: “Omer made the ultimate sacrifice we hope no soldier ever has to make, but many have made it nonetheless, in service to a higher cause. We express our deepest condolences for the loss of Omer.”
Families and advocacy groups have continued to press for the return of all hostages. The Hostages and Missing Families Forum organized rallies in Tel Aviv and other Israeli communities, and freed captive Eitan Horn—who was released after 738 days—told supporters in Hostages Square: “I cannot begin my journey of healing and recovery as long as I know there are families who are not with me on this journey. We have no future without the return of all the hostages.”
Separately, Israeli officials told media outlets they have new leads about the likely location of the longest-held remains in Gaza: those of Lt. Hadar Goldin, who died in the final days of the 2014 Israel–Hamas war. Two Israeli sources say Goldin’s remains may be in Rafah in southern Gaza, near an area where hundreds of militants are believed to be sheltering in underground tunnels in territory currently occupied by Israeli forces.
Identification of the newly transferred remains is pending forensic confirmation. The ICRC facilitated the handovers and Israeli authorities are conducting DNA and other tests to confirm identities before families are notified and burials proceed.
Note: Reporting on locations and numbers of militants or hostages reflects statements from Israeli officials and family groups; independent verification in the field can be limited because of ongoing security operations.