Israel Says Remains Returned by Hamas Do Not Belong to Israeli Hostages.
A significant development in the fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas has come to light, as the remains of three individuals handed over by Hamas to the Red Cross this week were determined not to be those of any Israeli hostages. According to an Israeli source, cited by CBS News on Saturday, intelligence suggests that the unidentified remains do not belong to the hostages taken by Hamas terrorists during the October 7, 2023 terror attack in southern Israel.
The news comes as a setback for the U.S.-brokered ceasefire agreement, which aimed to facilitate the return of the remaining hostages. Since its implementation on October 10, Palestinian militants have released the remains of 17 hostages held in Gaza for two years, but the process of returning the last 11 remaining hostages has been slow, with just one or two bodies being released every few days.
The Israeli government has confirmed that the remains do not belong to any of the hostages, without providing further details. The Israeli Prime Minister's office made the statement in response to inquiries from CBS News. In contrast, Hamas' armed wing claimed that it had offered to hand over samples of unidentified bodies, but Israel had refused to receive them and instead asked for their examination.
The true identity of those remains remains unknown, adding to the complexity of the situation. The Israeli army declined to comment on Saturday, stating only that they did not announce the receipt of the bodies.
The fragile truce has faced several challenges since its implementation, including strikes across Gaza that killed over 100 people and the incomplete return of hostages. With the ceasefire teetering on the brink of collapse, it remains to be seen how this latest development will impact the situation in Gaza.
A significant development in the fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas has come to light, as the remains of three individuals handed over by Hamas to the Red Cross this week were determined not to be those of any Israeli hostages. According to an Israeli source, cited by CBS News on Saturday, intelligence suggests that the unidentified remains do not belong to the hostages taken by Hamas terrorists during the October 7, 2023 terror attack in southern Israel.
The news comes as a setback for the U.S.-brokered ceasefire agreement, which aimed to facilitate the return of the remaining hostages. Since its implementation on October 10, Palestinian militants have released the remains of 17 hostages held in Gaza for two years, but the process of returning the last 11 remaining hostages has been slow, with just one or two bodies being released every few days.
The Israeli government has confirmed that the remains do not belong to any of the hostages, without providing further details. The Israeli Prime Minister's office made the statement in response to inquiries from CBS News. In contrast, Hamas' armed wing claimed that it had offered to hand over samples of unidentified bodies, but Israel had refused to receive them and instead asked for their examination.
The true identity of those remains remains unknown, adding to the complexity of the situation. The Israeli army declined to comment on Saturday, stating only that they did not announce the receipt of the bodies.
The fragile truce has faced several challenges since its implementation, including strikes across Gaza that killed over 100 people and the incomplete return of hostages. With the ceasefire teetering on the brink of collapse, it remains to be seen how this latest development will impact the situation in Gaza.
so israel's sayin the remains dont belong 2 their hostages? like what even is that?? 
i mean i get its bad enough when ppl r missin but to leave 'em lyin there with no idea who they r? crazy. and now the ceasefire is all messed up cuz of this. 
ugh, just great. and whats w/ israel refusin 2 take the samples from hams? 
seems like a whole lotta mistrust goin on here. its like u cant have it both ways, fam. 
but now we got this new info that throws a wrench into the whole ceasefire agreement... what's next gonna happen? 
. I mean, it makes sense that intelligence would say that but now the whole thing gets even more complicated 
. What if they are still human remains from like, who knows, another place? 
And now the ceasefire is all up in the air again 
... it's so frustrating when things don't work out like that! 
It's like they're playing a sick game of cat and mouse with people's lives. The Israeli gov doesn't wanna deal with the samples, but Hamas said no way! 
Now it's all up in the air... what's next? 
I just wish they could get some closure already. This is all so frustrating 
. Can't we just have a peaceful time for once? 
... Remember that time when your parents told you they were going to war and you had no idea what was going on? It's like that all over again 
.
. and honestly, I'm not surprised Israel is being all secretive about it... they've been shady since day one with this whole hostage thing 
. 
, and now we're left with these remains that nobody can identify... it's like the whole thing is just one big joke 
.
.
and now its a total roadblock for the ceasefire agreement... 17 hostages are already released, but the last 11 are still stuck in limbo 
. u can feel the tension building 
, if this is gonna collapse, it'll be catastrophic 
.
. And now this new development with the remains... it's like Israel is trying to stall something. I'm not saying they're doing it on purpose, but the ceasefire agreement was supposed to be a big deal 
. so yeah, it's not always easy to figure out what's real and what's just a ruse... gotta keep our wits about us and not jump into things without thinking 'em through