On October 15, 2025, Israel received the remains of two more hostages from Hamas, marking another fraught step in a fragile ceasefire deal that continues to test the patience and resolve of all parties involved. The transfer, facilitated by the Red Cross in Gaza City, saw coffins containing the remains of Inbar Haiman, a 27-year-old visual communications student from Haifa, and Muhammad el-Atrash, a 39-year-old father of 13 and tracker with the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), delivered to Israeli authorities before being sent to the Abu Kabir Forensic Institute in Tel Aviv for identification, as reported by The Media Line and BBC.
Both Haiman and el-Atrash were killed during the Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023, an event that ignited the current two-year war and left deep scars on both Israeli and Palestinian societies. Haiman’s death was declared in December 2023, while el-Atrash’s was confirmed in mid-2024 after new intelligence surfaced, according to The Media Line. The Israeli military held a brief ceremony honoring the two before the remains were transferred for forensic examination.
Yet, even as these two families received a measure of closure, frustration simmered across Israel. The government and families of other hostages expressed anger that only a fraction of the 28 deceased hostages’ bodies have been returned so far. According to CNN and BBC, Israeli officials insist that Hamas still holds the remains of 19 hostages, and that the group’s recent handovers have been incomplete and sometimes erroneous. In one particularly painful incident, the IDF revealed that a body previously returned by Hamas was not that of a hostage, but of a Palestinian woman—echoing a previous mix-up earlier this year.
The delays and confusion have inflamed public opinion. Families of the deceased hostages, many of whom have waited over two years for news of their loved ones, called on the Israeli government to halt the next phase of the ceasefire until all remains are accounted for. The BBC reported that some families gathered outside hospitals, desperate for any information, while the Prime Minister’s Office expressed “deep sorrow” for the Haiman and el-Atrash families and reiterated Israel’s “determination and commitment” to bring back all fallen hostages for proper burial.
Under the Trump-brokered ceasefire agreement, Hamas was supposed to return all living and deceased hostages within 72 hours, while Israel agreed to release about 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and return the bodies of Palestinian dead. The deal stipulated a ratio: for every Israeli body returned, 15 Palestinian bodies would be sent back to Gaza. On October 15, Gaza received the remains of 45 Palestinians from Israel, bringing the total to 90, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry and CNN. Many of these bodies showed signs of mistreatment, including shackling, torture, and, in some cases, execution, as reported by The Associated Press and confirmed by forensic teams in Gaza. Some arrived still cuffed, with bands or ropes around their necks, and were in varying states of decomposition.
The identification process for these bodies has been fraught with difficulty. Israeli restrictions on the entry of DNA testing equipment into Gaza have forced morgues to rely on physical features and clothing, often leaving families in limbo. Images released by the Health Ministry depicted bodies that were burned, decomposed, or missing limbs, further complicating the grim task.
The humanitarian situation in Gaza remains dire. The World Food Program announced that aid deliveries resumed on October 15 after a two-day pause, but Israel’s decision to reduce the number of trucks allowed into Gaza—citing Hamas’s slow return of hostages’ bodies—has drawn criticism from aid groups and the United Nations. As CNN reported, only 300 out of the 600 trucks agreed upon in the ceasefire deal crossed into Gaza, carrying food, fuel, and medical supplies. The Egyptian Red Crescent said 400 trucks were bound for Gaza, but humanitarian officials stressed that the aid must be meaningful and not merely symbolic. “During the ceasefire in January, we saw trucks of chairs coming in,” a Mercy Corps official told CNN. “Where is someone going to sit if their homes have been destroyed?”
Winter’s approach adds urgency to the crisis. Cooking gas remains restricted, forcing residents to burn wood or melt plastic for fuel. The United Nations and aid organizations warned that any further delays or reductions in aid could lead to more “avoidable deaths and deprivation,” as Fikr Shalltoot of Medical Aid for Palestinians described the situation as “catastrophic.”
Politically, the ceasefire remains on a knife’s edge. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been vocal in demanding that Hamas fulfill its obligations, stating on October 15 that Israel “will not compromise” on the return of hostages’ bodies. Defense Minister Israel Katz directed the IDF to prepare comprehensive plans to defeat Hamas should fighting resume. “If Hamas refuses to comply with the agreement, Israel, in coordination with the United States, will resume fighting and act to achieve a total defeat of Hamas, to change the reality in Gaza and achieve all the objectives of the war,” his office declared, as reported by The Media Line and CNN.
On the American side, President Donald Trump warned that Israel could resume military operations “as soon as I say the word” if Hamas fails to comply with the ceasefire. Yet, senior U.S. advisers told CNN and The Associated Press that they do not believe Hamas has violated the deal, acknowledging that the group may need “special equipment” and more time to locate the remaining bodies, many of which may be buried under rubble after two years of war. The U.S. is reportedly working through mediators to provide intelligence and logistical support, and has even considered offering monetary rewards for information leading to the recovery of additional remains.
Hamas, for its part, maintains that it has handed over all living hostages and the bodies it could access. In a statement, the Al-Qassam Brigades said, “As for the remaining corpses, it requires extensive efforts and special equipment for their retrieval and extraction. We are exerting great effort in order to close this file.” The group insists that some bodies are located in areas now controlled by Israeli troops, further complicating recovery efforts.
The ceasefire’s future remains uncertain. While the U.S. and international mediators continue to urge restraint, anger and distrust are running high. Israeli intelligence, according to Axios, suggests Hamas may have access to more bodies than it has acknowledged, and that the next phase of the deal cannot proceed until further returns are made. Meanwhile, violence continues to flare in Gaza, with clashes reported between Hamas and rival groups, and the UN calling for greater humanitarian access as it works to clear debris and unexploded bombs from devastated neighborhoods.
Amid the political wrangling and humanitarian suffering, the voices of ordinary people—families waiting for closure, aid workers pleading for access, and communities struggling to rebuild—underscore the immense human cost of this ongoing conflict. Whether the ceasefire will hold, and whether the dead and their families will finally find peace, remains to be seen. But for now, every returned body, every truck of aid, and every day of quiet is a fragile victory in a landscape marked by grief and uncertainty.