Hamas has returned the body of an American-Israeli hostage, leaving seven more to be handed back under Donald Trump’s Gaza ceasefire deal.
The remains of 19 year-old staff sergeant Itay Chen have been returned for burial in Israel, the military said on Wednesday. The teenager was serving as a soldier when Hamas carried out its massacre on 7 October, 2023.
Israel received the body from Hamas via the Red Cross in Gaza, the prime minister’s office said and later confirmed it was Chen following an identification process.
“The IDF expresses deep condolences to the family, continues to make every effort to return all the deceased hostages, and is prepared for the continued implementation of the agreement,” the military said in a statement on X.
Hamas said it found the body in the eastern Gaza City suburb of Shejaia, in an area still occupied by Israeli forces. Israel had granted access to the location for teams from Hamas and the International Committee of the Red Cross.
Hamas has now returned 21 of the 28 bodies of hostages who were buried in Gaza. The names of the seven remaining hostages are Joshua Luito Mollel, Ran Gvili, Dror Or, Lior Rudaeff, Meny Godard, Sudthisak Rinthalak, and Hadar Goldin.
Goldin is the last remaining hostage who was taken during active IDF service, although he was taken during 2014, rather than October 7, according to the Jerusalem Post.
In return, Israel has handed over 270 bodies of Palestinians it had killed since the war began two years ago, Gaza health authorities said.
The US-brokered ceasefire is aimed at winding down the deadliest and most destructive war ever fought between Israel and the Palestinian militant group.
The military wing of Hamas said earlier it had recovered the body of an Israeli soldier in Gaza and intended to hand over the remains. At that time Israel’s statement did not indicate whether the remains were of a soldier, according to Associated Press.
Militants in Gaza have released one to three bodies every few days.
Israel has pushed to speed up the returns and in certain cases has said the remains were not those of hostages. Hamas has said the work is complicated by widespread devastation.
For each Israeli hostage returned, Israel has been releasing the remains of 15 Palestinians. So far the bodies of 270 Palestinians have been handed over under the current ceasefire. Fewer than half have been identified.
Forensic work is complicated by a lack of DNA testing kits in Gaza. The Health Ministry there posts photos of the remains online, in the hope that families will recognise them.
The war was triggered by the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, which killed about 1,200 people and saw 251 taken hostage. Israel responded with a sweeping military offensive that has killed more than 68,800 Palestinians in Gaza, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
Israel, which has denied accusations by a UN commission of inquiry and others of committing genocide in Gaza, has disputed the ministry’s figures without providing a contradicting toll.
