Israel–Hamas hostage exchanges leave five bodies still in Gaza
Israel has celebrated the return of the last 20 living hostages held in Gaza under the first phase of the fragile Israel–Hamas ceasefire, officials said Friday (7 November).
Under the current truce, militants have released the remains of 23 hostages, leaving five bodies still in Gaza. Hamas says some remains are buried under rubble from Israel's two‑year offensive, while Israel accuses the group of delaying the return and has threatened to resume military action or withhold aid if all remains are not handed over.
As part of the ceasefire deal, Israel has returned the remains of 15 Palestinians for each Israeli hostage. So far, 300 Palestinian remains have been sent back to Gaza. Gaza health authorities have identified 89 of the bodies, despite limited access to DNA kits.
The hostage crisis dates back to the 7 October 2023 Hamas attack, which killed about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took 251 hostages. The conflict that followed has claimed more than 68,800 Palestinian lives, roughly half of them women and children, according to the Hamas‑run Gaza health ministry, whose casualty records are considered generally reliable by the United Nations and independent experts.
Hostage details: