Israel says 3 bodies returned by Hamas are those of soldiers killed in October 7 attack – Chicago Tribune
By JULIA FRANCEL
JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel said Monday that the remains of three hostages who returned from Gaza the night before belonged to soldiers killed in the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack that sparked the war. This positive identification marked another step forward for the fragile ceasefire negotiated by the United States.
The army said the men were killed in the attack in southern Israel and their bodies were taken back to Gaza by militants. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office identified them as Captain Omer Neutra, an American-Israeli, Oz Daniel and Lieutenant Colonel Assaf Hamami. An earlier Hamas statement said his remains were found Sunday in a tunnel south of Gaza.
Since the ceasefire took effect on October 10, Palestinian militants have handed over the remains of 20 hostages. There are still eight in Gaza.
U.S. President Donald Trump said Sunday that he spoke with Neutra’s family, describing their relief and pain. “They were excited, in one sense, but in another sense, obviously, it’s not so good,” Trump said.
Slow release of bodies
Militants released one or two bodies every few days. Israel has demanded faster progress and, in some cases, said the remains were not those of any hostages. Hamas said the work was complicated by widespread devastation.
Israel, in turn, returned the remains of 15 Palestinians for each Israeli hostage returned. Health officials in Gaza have struggled to identify bodies without access to DNA kits.
Only 75 of the 225 Palestinian bodies returned since the start of the ceasefire have been identified, according to Gaza’s health ministry, which released photos of the remains in the hope that families will recognize them.
Who were the repatriated hostages?
American-Israeli Neutra was 21 when he died. During the attack on October 7, 2023, he was kidnapped along with the rest of his tank crew. In December 2024, the military announced that Neutra had been killed in the attack that started the war.
Neutra’s parents were a regular presence at protests in the United States and Israel and spoke at the Republican National Convention last year.
The militiamen removed the body of Daniel, 19, from his tank, as well as three other people. He is survived by his parents and his twin sister.
Hamami commanded Israel’s Southern Brigade in the Gaza Division and was killed early on October 7, 2023, during fighting to defend Kibbutz Nirim.
According to Israeli media, Hamami was the first soldier to declare that Israel was at war, less than 10 minutes after the attack began. Hamami and two of his soldiers were killed and their bodies taken to Gaza. The remains of the other two soldiers were found in July 2024. Hamami is survived by his wife and three children.
Ceasefire status
The exchange of hostage remains for Palestinian bodies was a central part of the initial phase of the US-brokered ceasefire. The 20-point plan includes the formation of an international stabilization force made up of Arab and other partners that would work with Egypt and Jordan to secure Gaza’s borders and ensure compliance with the ceasefire.
Several countries have expressed interest in participating in a peacekeeping force, but have requested a clear mandate from the UN Security Council before committing troops.
Other difficult questions include disarming Hamas and governing a post-war Gaza, as well as when and how to increase humanitarian aid.
The deadliest and most destructive war ever fought between Israel and Hamas began with the 2023 Hamas-led attack that killed around 1,200 people and took 251 others hostage.
The Israeli military offensive has killed more than 68,800 Palestinians in Gaza, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants. The ministry, part of the Hamas-led government and staffed by medical professionals, keeps detailed records considered generally reliable by independent experts.
Israel, which has denied accusations by a U.N. commission of inquiry and others that it committed genocide in Gaza, disputed the ministry’s figures without providing another tally.
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Associated Press writers Melanie Lidman in Tel Aviv, Israel, and Aamer Madhani in West Palm Beach, Florida, contributed to this report.
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This story was translated from English by an AP editor using a generative artificial intelligence tool.
