The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced on Tuesday that one of the four bodies handed over by Hamas does not correspond to any of the deceased hostages identified by Israel.
“After thorough examinations conducted by the National Institute of Forensic Medicine, it was determined that the fourth body returned by Hamas does not belong to any known hostages. Hamas is urged to take all necessary actions to ensure the return of the deceased hostages,” stated the IDF.
The IDF confirmed the return of the bodies of Eitan Levi, Uriel Baruch, and Staff Sergeant Tamir Nimrodi. Levi was 53, Baruch was 35, and Nimrodi was 18 at the time of their deaths, according to the IDF.
From left to right: Images of Eitan Levi, Uriel Baruch, and Tamir Nimrodi overlaid on an Israeli flag. (Hostages Families Forum; Background: Alex Wong/Getty Images)
“SSGT Tamir Nimrodi was taken alive and tragically killed while in captivity at the age of 18. Uriel Baruch and Eitan Levi were both killed during the October 7 Massacre, and their bodies were taken to Gaza. May their memories be a blessing,” read another statement from the IDF on X.
All surviving hostages had been freed as part of an agreement facilitated with the involvement of President Donald Trump. However, he emphasized on Truth Social that the remains of those who died must also be returned.
“ALL TWENTY HOSTAGES ARE BACK AND FEELING AS GOOD AS CAN BE EXPECTED. A big burden has been lifted, but the job IS NOT DONE. THE DEAD HAVE NOT BEEN RETURNED, AS PROMISED! Phase Two begins right NOW!!!” he asserted in the post on Tuesday.
Israel is committed to securing the return of the hostages’ remains.
“The Government and the entire establishment for the missing and the captives of the State of Israel are determined, committed, and working tirelessly to return all of our fallen hostages for proper burial in their country,” the Israeli prime minister’s office noted.
“The Hamas terrorist organization is required to uphold its commitments to the mediators and return them as part of the implementation of the agreement. We will not compromise on this and will spare no effort until we return all of the fallen hostages, every last one of them.”
Shosh Bedrosian, spokeswoman for Netanyahu’s office, reiterated to reporters later Wednesday that Israel expects Hamas to uphold its agreement under Trump’s 20-point peace plan, including the release of all the remains of hostages to Israel.
“At this point in time, we are expecting all of our hostages to come back. Let’s make that very, very clear,” she said. “All of them will come back. And like I said, we are expecting Hamas to fulfill that obligation.”
