Hamas Returns the Bodies of Two More Hostages

The Palestinian armed group Hamas has returned the bodies of two more hostages to Israel. The handover of the two bodies to the Red Cross took place on Thursday night (October 30), a day after multiple Israeli airstrikes in Gaza violated the ceasefire.

Following this, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office confirmed the receipt of the bodies. Israeli authorities later identified the two returned hostages as Amiram Cooper (84) and Sahar Barukh (25). Their identities were confirmed within a few hours of receiving the bodies.

Amiram Cooper was abducted from his home in Kibbutz Nirim, southern Israel, by Hamas on October 7, 2023. According to the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), he died in captivity in February 2024. The IDF officially confirmed his death in June 2024.

On the same day, Barukh was kidnapped from Kibbutz Be’eri. According to the IDF, he died during a failed rescue operation in December 2023.

The ceasefire agreement, mediated by the United States, Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey, is the first phase of former President Trump’s 20-point Gaza peace plan. Under the agreement, Hamas is required to return 48 living and deceased hostages within 72 hours of the ceasefire coming into effect.

After the ceasefire took effect on October 10, Hamas released 20 Israeli hostages on October 13. In exchange, Israel freed 250 Palestinian prisoners and 1,718 detainees from Gaza. Subsequently, the bodies of 13 more Israelis and 2 foreign hostages were exchanged for the return of 195 Palestinian bodies.

With the return of the two latest bodies, 11 bodies remain in Gaza. Meanwhile, Israel has continued airstrikes in Gaza, violating the ceasefire. According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, between Tuesday (October 28) and Wednesday (October 29), Israeli attacks killed 104 people, including 46 children and 20 women.