Israeli troops operating in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday evening received a casket believed to contain the body of an Israeli hostage from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

The casket, transferred by the Red Cross after being collected from Hamas in Gaza City, was brought to an IDF base for inspection and identification. Military officials said the casket was draped in an Israeli flag and honored with a brief ceremony led by an army rabbi.

The identity of the deceased has not yet been made public, as forensic confirmation has not yet been made.

According to Channel 12, Israeli defense officials believe that with “strenuous work and cooperation” involving multiple intermediaries, it will ultimately be possible to retrieve the bodies of all remaining hostages held in Gaza. The report said Israel currently knows the locations of at least four of the deceased hostages, and expects that the remaining three can also be recovered in time.

“This can take time, and there are further moves that need to be carried out on the ground, but in the end, it will be possible to return them all for burial in Israel,” a defense official told the network.

The sensitive recovery effort comes as Israel continues military operations in southern Gaza’s Rafah area, where an estimated 200 Hamas operatives remain trapped. According to Channel 12, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir has told political leaders that he would only consider allowing those fighters to retreat northward if Hamas agrees to return the body of Lt. Hadar Goldin, an Israeli soldier killed during the 2014 Gaza War whose remains have been held by Hamas ever since.

“No terrorist will leave Rafah alive,” Zamir was quoted as saying. “I am willing to consider the release of terrorists [from Rafah], on one condition — returning Hadar Goldin. Otherwise, no terrorist will leave Rafah alive.”

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)