Militants Return Remains of Meny Godard; Three Hostage Remains Still in Gaza

Israel says militants returned the body of one of the last four hostages

Israel announced Thursday that militants have handed over the body of Meny Godard, one of the four hostages still unaccounted for from the Oct. 7, 2023, attack that triggered the war in Gaza. Godard was taken from Kibbutz Be'eri in southern Israel; his wife, Ayelet, was killed during the assault. The armed wings of Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad said the body was recovered in southern Gaza.

Since the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas began on Oct. 10, the remains of 25 hostages have been returned to Israel. That leaves three more hostage remains in Gaza that still need to be located and handed over, officials said.

Background on Godard
Officials at Kibbutz Be'eri said Meny Godard was a former professional soccer player who later served in the Israeli military, including during the 1973 Mideast War. He held several roles in the kibbutz community over the years, including working at its printing press.

Body-exchange arrangements and complications
Under the U.S.-brokered ceasefire agreement, Israel has been releasing 15 Palestinian bodies in exchange for each returned hostage remains. Gaza’s Health Ministry reported that a total of 315 Palestinian remains have been received so far under that arrangement.

Both sides have complained about how the exchanges have been handled. Israeli officials say some returned remains were only partial or that discoveries appeared staged. Hamas says widespread devastation in Gaza makes locating bodies difficult, and it has accused Israel of firing on civilians and restricting humanitarian aid. Gaza health authorities also say identifying remains is hampered by a shortage of DNA testing kits.

Ceasefire progress and next steps
The initial phase of the ceasefire included the return of 20 living hostages to Israel on Oct. 13. With three hostage remains still outstanding, both sides are nearing the end of that first phase. The next steps in the 20-point plan call for establishing an international stabilization force, forming a technocratic Palestinian government and the disarmament of Hamas.

The fragile agreement aims to wind down the war that began with the Hamas-led Oct. 7 attack, which Israeli officials say killed about 1,200 people and led to 251 people being taken hostage. Gaza’s Health Ministry, part of the Hamas-run government, says more than 69,100 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s military offensive; the ministry’s records are closely watched and generally considered a primary source by many independent experts.

Reporting contributed by Wafaa Shurafa in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip.