The remains of three people handed over by Hamas to the Red Cross in Gaza do not belong to any hostages, Israel said on Saturday, in another setback for the US-brokered ceasefire deal in the war between Israel and Hamas, UNN reports with reference to AP.
Details
The handover came after Israel returned the bodies of 30 Palestinians to Gaza on Friday, completing an exchange after militants handed over the remains of two hostages earlier in the week.
The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed on Saturday that the remains of the three people do not belong to any hostages. It is unclear whose remains they are.
Hamas' armed wing said it offered to hand over samples of unidentified bodies on Friday, but Israel refused and asked for the remains for examination.
"We handed over the bodies to stop Israel's claims," the statement said. Health officials in Gaza are trying to identify the bodies without access to DNA kits.
Addendum
Since the ceasefire agreement came into effect on October 10, Palestinian militants have released the remains of 17 hostages. Eleven remain in Gaza. Militants have been releasing one or two bodies every few days. Israel has called for faster progress. Hamas said the work is complicated by widespread destruction and Israel's military presence in some areas.
Israel releases the unidentified remains of 15 Palestinians in exchange for the remains of each Israeli hostage. The number of Palestinian bodies returned by Israel since the start of the ceasefire now stands at 225. According to the Gaza Ministry of Health, only 75 people have been identified by their families.