The Israeli army confirmed on Saturday that the remains of the last hostage handed over by the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) belong to Lior Redif, the senior security official in Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak, who was kidnapped as part of the attacks on October 7, 2023.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said in a statement, “After completing the identification process conducted by the National Forensic Center in cooperation with the police and Israel, army representatives informed the hostage’s family of the identity of the hostage whose body was returned to Israel.”
In this sense, he noted that the Israeli government “shares the deep regret of the Redif family and all the families of the deceased hostages.”
The text stated, “The government is working tirelessly with commitment and determination to return the remains of all hostages so that they can be properly buried in their country.”
For this reason, he points out that Hamas is called upon to “comply with the commitments reached with the mediators within the framework of the agreement and return their bodies.” He concluded: “We will not waste efforts until everyone returns, every one of them.”
For its part, the Israeli government released about 2,000 Palestinian prisoners from its prisons and handed over 225 bodies in implementation of the aforementioned agreement, amid mutual accusations of violating the ceasefire, including the continued closure of the Rafah crossing on the border with Egypt to the passage of humanitarian aid.
The Israeli army has unleashed a deadly assault on Gaza following the October 7 attacks, which have so far left more than 68,800 dead and 170,600 wounded, authorities in Hamas-controlled Gaza said, although there are fears the number could be higher, as bodies continue to be found in areas from which Israeli forces have withdrawn in recent days.
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