For the families of hostages whose loved ones remain in Gaza, the past two years have been a painful, unending wait. As of October 21, 2025, Palestinian militants have released the bodies of 13 hostages as part of a ceasefire agreement in the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, according to the Associated Press. Yet, the process has stalled for the last 15 hostages, their remains still somewhere inside the war-torn Gaza Strip. The reasons for the delay are as complex as the conflict itself, with each side trading accusations and the families caught in the middle, desperate for closure.
Hamas claims that some of the remains are buried under the rubble left by Israel’s two-year offensive in Gaza. Israeli officials, however, accuse Hamas of dragging its feet and have threatened to resume military operations or withhold humanitarian aid if the bodies are not returned. The tension is palpable, and the stakes are heartbreakingly personal.
Just last week, the world watched as Hamas freed the last 20 living hostages taken during its October 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel. In exchange, Israel released hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, marking a major moment in the conflict. But for families whose loved ones did not survive, the return of remains is the only possible form of closure—and even that is proving elusive.
Among those still waiting is the family of Tamir Adar, a 38-year-old farmer and third-generation member of Kibbutz Nir Oz. According to the Associated Press, Adar was a member of the kibbutz’s emergency first responder team. On the morning of the attack, he left his family in their home’s safe room to help defend the community. In his final message to his wife, he wrote, "You don’t open for anyone, even if it’s me asking you to open." Adar was killed that day, and his body remains in Gaza. He is survived by his wife and two children. His grandmother, Yaffa Adar, was also kidnapped in the attack but was released weeks later in a ceasefire.
Then there’s Sahar Baruch, a 25-year-old from Kibbutz Be’eri who loved science, fantasy games, and chess. He was abducted while visiting his mother’s house, and his brother was killed during the same attack. Three months into his captivity, the Israeli military announced that he had died during an attempted rescue mission. Baruch is survived by his parents and two siblings.
Itay Chen, a 19-year-old Israeli American, was taken alongside two other members of his tank battalion. According to the Hostages Families Forum, Chen loved basketball and studying human biology. He was killed in the October 7 attack, and his body remains in Gaza. His father, Ruby Chen, has become a public figure, frequently meeting with American leaders to advocate for the return of all hostages, living and deceased.
Some hostages’ stories stretch back even further. The remains of Hadar Goldin, an Israeli soldier killed on August 1, 2014—just two hours after a ceasefire took effect in that year’s war—have been held in Gaza for more than a decade. Evidence found in the tunnel where Goldin’s body was taken, including a blood-soaked shirt and prayer fringes, led the military to quickly determine his death. His family marked 4,000 days since his body was taken earlier this year, a grim milestone underscoring the long shadow this conflict casts.
The list of names is long and achingly human. Amiram Cooper, 84, was a founder of Kibbutz Nir Oz, an economist, and a poet. He was abducted with his wife, who was later released. Cooper was featured in a Hamas video filmed under duress alongside other elderly hostages. Israel confirmed his death in June 2024. He leaves behind a large family: his wife, three children, and nine grandchildren.
Other stories are marked by tragedy and resilience. Meny Godard, a 73-year-old former professional soccer player, was killed alongside his wife, Ayelet, after their home was set on fire. She managed to tell their children that Meny had been killed before she herself was found and killed by militants. Their family held a double funeral, a somber testament to the day’s horrors. They are survived by four children and six grandchildren.
The impact of the hostage crisis extends far beyond Israel’s borders. On October 20, 2025, the body of Bipin Joshi, a Nepali student who had been held hostage in Gaza, was repatriated to Kathmandu, Nepal. According to the Associated Press, Joshi was among 17 Nepali agricultural students in southern Israel when Hamas launched its attack. He had arrived in Israel just a month earlier on a student exchange program. The Israel Defense Force announced on October 14, 2023, that Joshi was killed in captivity during the early months of the war. Nepal’s Foreign Ministry stated, “The Nepal government made various attempts at different levels, to the extent possible, for Joshi’s release while he was in captivity.”
Joshi’s remains were flown from Israel’s Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv and arrived at Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu. Nepal’s Prime Minister, Sushila Karki, honored Joshi at a ceremony at the airport, draping the national flag over his coffin and saying, “Bipin’s courage and bravery are a matter of pride for every Nepali. He is a son of Nepal, a son of every mother. We will never forget him. He lives in our hearts.” Joshi’s body was then taken to his hometown of Bhimdattanagar for a final farewell.
The stories of these hostages, both Israeli and foreign, reveal the deeply personal toll of the conflict. Some, like Joshua Loitu Mollel, a Tanzanian agricultural student, and Sudthisak Rinthalak, a Thai worker, traveled to Israel seeking opportunity and experience, only to become victims of a war not their own. According to Human Rights Watch and media accounts, Mollel was killed during the October 7 attack, with graphic footage posted online by militant groups. Rinthalak’s body is one of three Thai hostages whose remains are still in Gaza, and Israeli troops recovered the body of another Thai hostage, Nattapong Pinta, in June 2025. The Thai Foreign Ministry has said that 46 Thais have been killed during the war, in addition to the three hostages.
For every name, there is a family left behind. The parents of Omer Neutra, a 21-year-old Israeli American who was killed in the October 7 attack, have become regular presences at protests in the U.S. and Israel, even addressing the Republican National Convention last year. The family of Dror Or, a father of three and expert cheesemaker from Kibbutz Be’eri, waited anxiously while two of their children were abducted and later released during a ceasefire. The stories are as varied as the individuals themselves, but they share a common theme: loss, resilience, and a longing for closure that remains just out of reach.
As the ceasefire holds—at least for now—the fate of the last 15 hostages’ remains is uncertain. With each passing day, the pressure mounts on both sides. For the families, the agony endures. Their stories, and the loved ones they lost, refuse to be forgotten.
