Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the remains handed over by the Palestinian Hamas group overnight belonged to another hostage whose body had already been recovered by Israeli forces earlier in the war. He said the remains did not belong to any of the 13 hostages still missing.
Netanyahu said he would hold discussions with the country’s security chiefs to determine “Israel’s next steps in response.”
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir called on Netanyahu to take tough action against Hamas.
Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem said that finding all the bodies was a challenge due to the scale of the destruction in Gaza.
“Hamas will continue to make every effort to hand over the remaining bodies so that this issue is resolved completely and as soon as possible,” Qassem told Reuters.
Earlier, US President Donald Trump said he would monitor “very closely” the process of Hamas returning the remains of the hostages over the next 48 hours.
The search for the bodies of the hostages has accelerated in recent days after heavy equipment arrived from Egypt.
Reuters notes that explosions are still being heard in the Gaza Strip as Israeli forces continue to demolish areas where they are still located.