Israel confirmed the identification of Eliyahu Margalit as another hostage’s remains returned by Hamas on Friday. The 76-year-old was abducted during an attack by Hamas on October 7, 2023, from Kibbutz Nir Oz. Margalit’s body was identified through forensic testing by the National Center for Forensic Medicine, and his family has been informed. This marks the 10th returned hostage body since the recent ceasefire began over a week ago. A total of 28 hostages’ bodies are to be returned by Hamas, following a warning from U.S. President Donald Trump threatening a resumption of conflict if the terms of the agreement are not met.
The families of the abducted hostages, supported by the hostage forum, expressed some relief with Margalit’s return but remain determined to bring home the remaining 18 hostages. The forum pledged to continue organizing weekly rallies until all the remains are returned, as part of the ceasefire agreement’s stipulations alongside aid deliveries, border crossings into Gaza, and reconstruction efforts to conclude the devastating two-year conflict in Gaza.
Hamas has cited challenges in the retrieval process, stating that some hostages’ remains are buried under destroyed tunnels and buildings, requiring heavy machinery to access. The group attributed delays to the lack of permission for new bulldozers to enter Gaza. The region suffered significant equipment losses during the conflict, hindering the clearance of rubble. Recent efforts in Hamad City, Khan Younis, involved Hamas using bulldozers to search for hostages’ remains in buildings targeted during the war.
While the focus remains on the recovery of hostages’ remains, Hamas is pushing for increased aid flow, expedited border crossing operations with Egypt, and reconstruction initiation. The ceasefire agreement, driven by Trump, set a deadline for the return of all hostages, living and deceased, with Hamas required to share information on deceased hostages if the deadline was not met. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu emphasized Israel’s firm stance on compliance with the ceasefire terms regarding the return of hostages’ bodies.
