The Israeli military confirmed this Saturday that the remains of the last hostage handed over by the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) correspond to Lior Rudaev, a senior security official from Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak, who was kidnapped in the framework of the October 7, 2023 attack.
“After completing the identification process carried out by the National Forensic Medical Center in cooperation with the police and Israel, military representatives informed the families of the hostages’ identities and the bodies were returned to Israel,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said in a statement.
In this sense, he said the Israeli government “shares its deep regrets with Mr. Rudaev’s family and all the families of the deceased hostages.”
“The government is working tirelessly with dedication and determination to bring back the remains of all hostages and give them a proper burial in their home countries,” the document said.
He noted that Hamas is therefore required to “honor the commitments agreed with the mediator within the framework of the agreement and return the bodies.” “We will not waste our efforts until every last man returns home,” he concluded.
Meanwhile, the Israeli government released approximately 2,000 Palestinians held in prison and handed over 225 bodies in line with the aforementioned agreement, amid accusations of ceasefire violations, including the continued closure of the Rafah crossing on the border with Egypt for the passage of humanitarian aid.
After the October 7 attack, Israeli forces launched a bloody offensive against Gaza that has killed more than 68,800 people and injured more than 170,600, according to reports from Hamas-controlled Gaza authorities, but there are fears the number could be much higher as bodies continue to be discovered in areas from which Israeli forces have retreated in recent days.
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