IDF announces transfer of deceased Israeli hostage remains through Red Cross

The remains of an Israeli hostage have been transferred to Red Cross custody and will soon be turned over to the Israel Defense Forces in the Gaza Strip, the IDF announced Tuesday.

“The Red Cross is on its way to the meeting point in the central Gaza Strip, where a coffin of a deceased hostage will be transferred into its custody,” the IDF said in a statement.

“The IDF requests that the public act with sensitivity and wait for the official identification, which will first be provided to the families,” the statement continued.

“Hamas is required to uphold the agreement and take the necessary steps to return all the deceased hostages,” the IDF noted.

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Israeli officials later provided an update saying that they received the remains.

“The coffin of the deceased hostage, escorted by IDF troops, crossed the border into the State of Israel a short while ago and is on its way to the National Institute for Forensic Medicine, where identification procedures will be carried out,” the joint statement from the IDF and Israel Security Agency said.

Prior to Tuesday, there were three deceased hostages known to still be in Hamas custody: Ran Gvili, 24, Dror Or, 48, and Sudthisak Rinthalak, 43.

Gvili served in an elite police unit and was recovering from a motorcycle injury on Oct. 7, 2023. He nevertheless rushed to respond to the attack and helped people escape from the Nova music festival. He was later killed fighting at another location and his body was taken to Gaza.

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Or was a father of three who was killed along with his wife, Yonat Or, while protecting two of their children on Oct. 7. The two children, Noam, who was then 16, and Alma, then 13, were abducted and then released during the November 2023 ceasefire.

Rinthalak was a Thai worker employed at a kibbutz that came under attack on Oct. 7. He is one of 31 Thai workers who were kidnapped on Oct. 7. The Thai government says at least 46 of its citizens were killed during the course of the war in Gaza.

The latest release comes less than a week after President Donald Trump met with 17 surviving Israeli hostages and their loved ones at the White House.

Trump gave each of the 17 survivors a Presidential Challenge Coin.

“You’re not a hostage anymore, today you’re heroes,” Trump said. “We love you all, and our country loves you all. You’re amazing people.” 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.