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3. Body of One of Last Three Hostages Held in Gaza Identified

Israel announced Wednesday that a body handed over by Gaza militants was that of Dror Or, one of the last three deceased hostages held in the Palestinian territory.

The Islamic Jihad militant group located the body on Monday in the central Gaza Strip and on Tuesday transferred it to the Red Cross, acting as a neutral intermediary.

The coffin was handed over and taken into Israel, and the remains were identified at the National Center of Forensic Medicine in Tel Aviv.

Or's family has been informed "that their loved one has been returned to Israel and that his identification has been completed," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said in a statement.

"The government of Israel shares in the deep sorrow of the Or family and all the families of the fallen hostages."

Or, 48, was killed in the October 7, 2023, attack on his home in Beeri kibbutz, and his body was taken to Gaza. He was head chef and cheesemaker in the kibbutz dairy.

Israel's government is "determined, committed, and working tirelessly to return our two fallen hostages for proper burial in their country," the statement said.

The last two hostages' bodies still in Gaza are those of Ran Gvili and Sudthisak Rinthalak.

Ran Gvili, 24, an officer in the Yasam elite police unit in the southern Negev region, was on medical leave.

When he heard of the attack, he decided to leave his home with his own gun. He died in the fighting at the Alumim kibbutz, and his body was taken to Gaza.

Rinthalak, 43, was from Nong Khai province in northeastern Thailand. He worked in agriculture in Beeri. He was killed in the attack, and his body was taken to Gaza.

Hamas and its allies have been handing over the final hostages as part of the US-brokered ceasefire deal with Israel that came into force on October 10.

Hamas "is required to uphold its commitments to the mediators and return the fallen hostages as part of the implementation of the agreement," Netanyahu's office said.

"We will not compromise on this and will spare no effort until we return all the fallen hostages."

The Gaza war was sparked by Hamas's October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, which resulted in the deaths of 1,221 people.

Militants took 251 people hostage during the attack.

With AFP