UK – BBC, Oct. 15, 2025
Israeli hostage families have confirmed the identities of three of four bodies handed over by Hamas in Gaza on Tuesday.
The bodies of Tamir Nimrodi, 20, Eitan Levy, 53, and Uriel Baruch, 35, were part of the latest return, the Hostages Families Forum said. The fourth body does not match any of the known hostages, Israel said.
So far seven hostages’ bodies are confirmed to have been sent back from Gaza. Hamas has yet to return the other bodies as agreed under a ceasefire deal brokered by the US.
Frustrated by the slow return of bodies, Israel has threatened to further restrict humanitarian aid until the remains of all 28 hostages were returned. Hamas says it has had difficulty locating them.
Confirming that examinations at the National Institute of Forensic Medicine found that the remaining unnamed body handed over on Tuesday was not a hostage’s, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on X that “Hamas is required to make all necessary efforts to return the deceased hostages.”
The delay in the return of hostages’ bodies – originally envisaged to have been completed on Monday – has caused fury in Israel.
The bodies of four more hostages are expected to be transferred from Gaza later on Wednesday, according to Israeli media.
