The remains of three bodies transferred to Israel by Hamas on Friday do not belong to any of the Israeli hostages still being held in Gaza, or any Israeli hostage at all, forensic exams at Israel’s Abu Kabir Institute showed.

Channel 12 News reported that Israeli officials were aware beforehand that the bodies were likely those of Gazans and not Israelis.

“We’ve ruled out that the remains returned last night are linked to any Israeli hostage,” an Israeli official said, as quoted by Ynet. “This specific incident does not constitute a violation, as we initially assessed it was unlikely the remains were connected to the hostages. Still, we prefer that Hamas send any findings for verification. Regardless, Hamas continues to violate its basic obligation by refusing to return the bodies.”

Hamas continues to violate the ceasefire agreement by holding the remains of 11 Israeli hostages.

A statement from the Red Cross said, “The International Committee of the Red Cross assisted yesterday, at the request and with the approval of both parties, in the transfer of the remains of three bodies to Israeli authorities. The identification process is the responsibility of the relevant authorities in Israel.

(YWN’s Jerusalem desk is keeping you updated after tzeis ha’Shabbos in Israel)