“After completing the identification process by the National Forensic Center with the cooperation of the Israeli Police and Military Rabbinate, military representatives informed the family of the deceased kidnapped Meni Goddard that their loved one has been returned to Israel and the identification has been completed,” said a memo from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office, published in X magazine.
The Israeli military received the hostage’s body on Thursday night (November 13, 2025) through the mediation of the International Committee of the Red Cross. The hostage is one of the last four Israeli hostages remaining in captivity after the Hamas attack on Israel that began the Gaza war on October 7, 2023.
Thanks to Goddard, the number of POW bodies recovered by Israel now stands at 25.
Within the framework of the ceasefire reached through the US, Hamas, considered a terrorist organization by the US, Israel, the EU and other countries, also released 20 surviving prisoners in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian detainees and prisoners of war.
Currently, the bodies of the last three hostages that the Palestinians must hand over to Israel remain in Gaza.
Meanwhile, Israel, with the help of the Red Cross, returned some 315 Gazan bodies to the Strip, many of which showed signs of abuse and mutilation, according to images released by the Gaza Health Ministry to facilitate identification and complaints from medical personnel and Hamas officials.
rml (efe, @FDIonline, @IsraeliPM)