As part of the ceasefire agreement reached between Israel and Hamas, the Palestinian armed groups have successively handed over the remains of 13 hostages, but the key clauses in the agreement on the return of all the remains of the hostages are currently in stagnation, with 15 remains still unable to be returned, causing strong Israeli reaction.
Hamas said some of the corpses were not effectively located and excavated because they were buried deep under the massive ruins caused by the two-year Israeli military operations, hindering the transfer process.
This claim has been challenged by Israel and has accused Hamas of deliberately delaying, failing to fulfill the agreement, and warning of the possibility of resuming military operations or cutting humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip if the remains are not returned as soon as possible.
According to the Associated Press, the two sides completed a round of hostage exchanges last week: Hamas released the last 20 surviving hostages held during the October 7, 2023 attack on southern Israel, and Israel released hundreds of Palestinian detainees accordingly. The exchange process at that time once brought positive signals to the ceasefire.
The remains of the victims currently staying in Gaza include soldiers, farmers, students and retirees:
I. Military and security personnel
Itai Chen (19 years old): an Israeli-American soldier from the central city of Netanya, who loves basketball and human biology research. He died on October 7 after a tank camp attack, and his body was transported to Gaza. His father, Ruby Chen, lobbied for U.S. pressure several times, and his family is still waiting for the body to return home, with his parents, two brothers and a pet dog.
Ozzy Daniel (19 years old): Guitarist, learned piano at the age of 9, dreamed of becoming a professional musician, and loved Guns N 'Roses best. As an Israeli soldier, he was killed in the attack on October 7th. His body was taken from the tank together with three other comrades. The only survivors were his parents and twin sister.
Asav Hamami (41 years old): Commander of the Israeli Army’s Southern Brigade, appointed in 2022. Six minutes after the October 7 attacks, he first declared Israel in a state of war, then died with two soldiers and the bodies were taken to Gaza. The remains of two other soldiers were recovered in July 2024, and his wife and three children are still waiting for his burial.
Lan Gervili (24 years old): A member of the elite police force who still participated in the rescue after recovering from a shoulder injury in a motorcycle accident. After assisting the evacuation of people at the Nova Music Festival, he was killed in another battlefield and his body was taken to Gaza. The military confirmed his death four months later. Survivors include his parents and sister.
Hadal Golding (23 years old): the longest-stayed victim. Killed two hours after a ceasefire in 2014, his death was confirmed by a shirt of blood found in the tunnel and a prayer swearing out. Before the killing, he had applied for marriage to his fiancée, whose family had just spent the 4,000th anniversary of his body being detained this year, with his parents and three brothers and sisters (including twins) at home.
2. Residents of collective farms
Tamir Adar (38 years old): A third-generation farmer at Nir Oz Collective Farm, a member of the emergency rescue team. When the attack was attacked, he asked his family to hide in a safe house and devoted himself to defense. Finally, he left a message to his wife,"Don't open the door if anyone calls." His 85-year-old grandmother was captured during the same period and later released after a ceasefire. Today, his wife and two children are still waiting for their bodies.
Amir Cooper (84 years old): One of the founders of the Neuros collective farm, economist and poet, has written three collection of poems.After being imprisoned with his wife, his wife was released for 17 days, and he was forced to participate in Hamas video shootings, and confirmed to have been murdered in June 2024, leaving behind his wife, three children and nine grandchildren.
Menny Goddard (73 years old): Former professional footballer, involved in the 1973 Middle East War, served for years at the Bayer Collective Farm. The home escaped with his wife after being set on fire, and his wife was killed hours after hiding in the bushes, informed before the end that their children Menny had died, and the couple held a joint funeral, survivors included four children and six grandchildren.
Sahar Baruk (25 years old): Bearish collective farm resident, science enthusiast, passionate about table play and chess, is about to pursue an electrical engineering degree. At the time of the attack, he was at home with his brother, his brother was killed, he was killed in the rescue operation three months later, his parents and two brothers and sisters suffered the pain of loss of family.
Drol Auer (52 years old): Dairy farm manager of the Beeri collective farm and veteran cheese making expert. While hiding in a safe house with his wife on October 7, the house was set on fire, killing both husband and wife. Two children were captive and released in a ceasefire in November 2023.
Lior Rudaev (61 years old): Argentine immigrant, settled at the age of 7 in the Neir Izak collective farm and volunteered for 40 years as an ambulance driver. Early in the morning of October 7, the bodies were taken to Gaza, leaving four children and three grandchildren.
Ali Zalmanovich (85 years old): Early pioneer of Nir Oz Collective Farm and expert in wheat planting. After being kidnapped to Gaza, he unfortunately passed away after only five weeks. The news was confirmed by hostages imprisoned during the same period. The survivors included two sons and five grandchildren.
Foreign victims
Joshua Loito Moleir (21 years old): an agricultural student in Tanzania who suffered an attack in just 19 days after completing an agricultural degree in his home country and hoping to return home after accumulating experience. Human Rights Watch confirmed that the brutal video of the attack was released by a small armed group in Palestine, where parents and four brothers and sisters were far away from their home.
Omer Neutra (21 years old): An Israeli-American born on Long Island, New York, volunteered to join the army and served as captain of the school sports team. After the tank battalion was captured, it was confirmed to have been killed in December 2024. His parents frequently participated in protests in the United States and Israel, and also spoke out at the Republican National Convention calling for the release of hostages.
Sadusisak Rintala: Thai agricultural worker who went to work in Israel in 2017 and was employed at the Baairi Collective Farm. As one of three Thai hostages whose bodies were seized, the body of another compatriot was recovered in June this year. Data from the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs shows that 46 Thais have been killed in this round of war.