On Monday, October 27, 2025, a somber but significant milestone was reached in the ongoing aftermath of the Gaza conflict: Israel received the body of the 16th hostage from the Red Cross, following its handover by Hamas earlier that day. This transfer comes amid a fragile ceasefire and mounting pressure on all sides to resolve the fate of the remaining hostages and deceased captives still unaccounted for in the war-torn Gaza Strip.
According to the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, "Israel has received, through the Red Cross, the coffin of a fallen hostage that was handed over to IDF and Shin Bet forces inside the Gaza Strip." The remains are now en route to Israel, where they will undergo identification at the National Institute of Forensic Medicine. Hamas also confirmed the transfer, with a source stating, "The body of an Israeli captive that was recovered today in the Gaza Strip has been handed over to the Red Cross."
This handover is part of a broader, painstaking operation involving the Red Cross, Egyptian rescue teams, and Hamas members, all working together to recover the remains of hostages still missing since the harrowing events of October 7, 2023. On that day, Hamas militants launched a surprise attack on Israel, taking 251 people hostage and killing 1,221—most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures. In the months that followed, Israel's military response resulted in at least 68,527 deaths in Gaza, according to figures from the territory's health ministry, which the United Nations considers reliable.
The search for the remaining hostages’ bodies is fraught with complications. Hamas has stated that the return of the last deceased hostages "may take some time" due to the devastation in Gaza. The group’s lead negotiator, Khalil al-Hayya, explained, "There are challenges in locating the bodies of Israeli captives because the occupation has altered the terrain of Gaza. Moreover, some of those who buried the bodies have been martyred or no longer remember where they buried them." The destruction of infrastructure and shifting landscapes have made recovery efforts especially difficult, even as Egyptian equipment and specialists have been deployed to assist in the search.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has played a crucial—if limited—role in these efforts. The organization accompanied Hamas, with Israeli permission, to areas beyond the so-called Yellow Line in Gaza to provide technical guidance in the search for the remaining 13 bodies of hostages. The ICRC clarified its position, stating, "Under international humanitarian law, it is the responsibility of the parties to search for, collect and retrieve human remains." While the Red Cross is present at search sites and offers guidance, it does not physically participate in the recovery of bodies.
As of now, Hamas has returned the remains of 16 of the 28 deceased hostages since the U.S.-brokered ceasefire took effect on October 10, 2025. The group has also released all 20 surviving hostages as part of the truce deal. However, 13 bodies remain in Gaza—11 Israelis and two foreign workers from Thailand and Tanzania—leaving families in agonizing limbo.
This uncertainty has fueled public outcry in Israel. The Hostages and Missing Families Forum, an Israeli advocacy group, has demanded that the government suspend the truce unless Hamas releases all remaining bodies. In a statement, the group declared, "Hamas knows exactly where every one of the deceased hostages is held. Two weeks have passed since the deadline set in the agreement for the return of all 48 hostages, yet 13 remain in Hamas captivity." They urged Israeli authorities, the United States, and mediators "not to advance to the next phase of the agreement until Hamas fulfils all of its obligations and returns every hostage to Israel."
Despite the ceasefire, the situation on the ground in Gaza remains dire. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported that since the ceasefire began on October 10, 470,000 movements of people have been recorded from southern to northern Gaza. Many Palestinians are attempting to return to their destroyed homes, even as the risk of unstable structures and unexploded ordnance looms large. "Families are trying to return to their destroyed homes, though many structures are unstable and unexploded ordnance poses a risk. Our partners tell us that water, food and essential services are still desperately needed," said U.N. spokesperson Stephane Dujarric during a press briefing in New York.
Efforts to deliver humanitarian aid have seen some progress. Between October 24 and 25, 300 trucks of aid entered Gaza through the Kerem Shalom/Karem Abu Salem crossing, carrying thousands of pallets of wheat flour, supplies for hot meals, canned food, rice, diapers, medical equipment, and winter clothes. The U.N. Office for Project Services distributed about 329,000 liters of diesel on October 26, and more than one million hot meals have been delivered. Fifteen bakeries supported by the U.N. are now operating in Deir al Balah, Khan Younis, and Gaza City, producing thousands of loaves of bread daily.
Amid these humanitarian efforts, political maneuvering continues. President Donald Trump’s administration is pushing to establish an international security force—composed of troops from Arab and Muslim nations—to police the truce. However, Israel has voiced strong opposition to Turkey’s participation in this proposed force. At a news conference in Budapest, Israeli foreign minister Gideon Saar stated, "Turkey under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had led a hostile approach against Israel, that included not only hostile statements, but also diplomatic and economic measures against Israel. So it is not reasonable for us to let their armed forces enter the Gaza Strip, and we will not agree to that, and we said it to our American friends."
The U.S. military, meanwhile, has set up a coordination center in southern Israel to monitor the ceasefire and coordinate aid and reconstruction. Aid agencies continue to push for greater access for humanitarian convoys inside Gaza, as Israel still controls around half of the territory from positions on the Yellow Line and has resisted calls to open the Rafah border crossing with Egypt.
For residents near the Gaza border, there was a modest sign of relief: Israel’s defense minister Israel Katz announced that the state of emergency for areas near the border has been lifted for the first time since the October 2023 attack.
As the world watches, the fate of the remaining hostages and the future of Gaza hang in the balance. The painstaking recovery of bodies, the urgent delivery of aid, and the fragile political negotiations all underscore the complex and deeply human toll of this conflict.
