Israel identifies remains of captive returned from Gaza under ceasefire deal

By Abdel Ra'ouf Arnaout and Rania Abu Shamala

JERUSALEM / ISTANBUL (AA) - Israel identified the remains of a captive received from the Gaza Strip on Thursday evening as part of the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire deal.

The Israeli army said in a statement that the body belonged to captive Meny Godard, according to forensic identification procedures carried out in cooperation with the Israel police and the military rabbinate.

Godard, 73, was captured on Oct. 7, 2023, from his home in Kibbutz Be’eri by the Islamic Jihad movement, the army said.

Three bodies still remain in Gaza, including one belonging to a Thai worker, according to Israeli media.

Hamas has already released 20 Israeli captives alive and handed over the remains of 27 out of 28, most of them Israelis, since the ceasefire took effect on Oct. 10. Israel, however, claimed that one of the received bodies did not match any of its listed captives.

Phase one of the ceasefire deal includes the release of Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. The plan also envisages the rebuilding of Gaza and the establishment of a new governing mechanism without Hamas.

Israel has killed more than 69,000 people, mostly women and children, in attacks in Gaza since October 2023 and reduced it to rubble.