Israeli defense officials reportedly informed US Vice President JD Vance that Hamas is capable of returning the bodies of at least 10 of the 13 remaining deceased hostages still held in Gaza.

According to Israel’s Kan public broadcaster, Defense Minister Israel Katz, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, and other top military officials briefed Vance on the situation in Gaza during a meeting today. The officials “stated unequivocally” that Hamas can return most of the remaining bodies — even before any international recovery teams enter the Strip.

It has previously been reported that Hamas may be unable to locate all of the bodies, a fact Israeli authorities are aware of. Earlier this month, CNN cited an Israeli official saying seven to nine bodies might never be retrieved, while another estimated the number at between 10 and 15.

Before the recent ceasefire, Hamas was holding the bodies of 28 hostages. Since then, the terror group has returned 15 of them, along with releasing 20 surviving captives.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)