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Israel says the remains of different hostage that Hamas handed implicit the time earlier person been identified arsenic Eliyahu Margalit, arsenic the Palestinian militant radical looks for much bodies nether the rubble successful the Gaza Strip and urges much assistance to beryllium allowed into the embattled enclave.
Israel's Prime Minister's Office said, connected Saturday (October 18, 2025), Margalit's assemblage was identified aft investigating by the National Centre for Forensic Medicine, and his household has been notified. The 76-year-old was abducted connected October 7, 2023, erstwhile Hamas attacked Israel, from the equine stables wherever helium worked successful Kibbutz Nir Oz.
Margalit is the 10th returned hostage assemblage since the ceasefire went into effect implicit a week ago. Hamas handed implicit an 11th assemblage this week, but it wasn't that of a hostage. The effort to find the remains followed a informing from U.S. President Donald Trump that helium would green-light Israel to resume the warfare if Hamas doesn't unrecorded up to its extremity of the woody and instrumentality each hostages' bodies, totalling 28.
In a connection connected Saturday (October 18, 2025), the hostage forum, which supports the families of those abducted, said Margalit's instrumentality brings a measurement of solace to his family, but that they won't remainder until the remaining 18 hostages travel home. The forum says it volition proceed holding play rallies until each remains are returned.
The handover of hostages' remains, called for nether the ceasefire agreement, has been among the cardinal sticking points — on with assistance deliveries, the opening of borderline crossings into Gaza and hopes for reconstruction — successful a process backed by overmuch of the planetary assemblage to assistance extremity 2 years of devastating warfare successful Gaza.
Hamas has said it is committed to the presumption of the ceasefire deal, including the handover of bodies. However, the retrieval of bodies is hampered by the scope of the devastation and the beingness of dangerous, unexploded ordnance. The radical has besides told mediators that immoderate bodies are successful areas controlled by Israeli troops.
Margalit's assemblage was recovered aft 2 bulldozers ploughed up pits successful the world successful the metropolis of Khan Younis.
Meanwhile, Hamas had besides urged mediators to summation the travel of assistance into Gaza, expedite the opening of the Rafah borderline crossing with Egypt and commencement reconstruction of the battered territory.
The travel of assistance remains constrained due to the fact that of continued closures of crossings and restrictions connected assistance groups.
United Nations information connected Friday (October 17) showed 339 trucks person been offloaded for organisation successful Gaza since the ceasefire began a week ago. Under the agreement, immoderate 600 humanitarian assistance trucks would beryllium allowed to participate each day.
COGAT, the Israeli defence assemblage overseeing assistance successful Gaza, reported 950 trucks — including commercialized trucks and bilateral deliveries — crossing connected Thursday (October 16) and 716 connected Wednesday (October 15), the U.N. said.
Gaza's much than 2 cardinal radical are hoping the ceasefire volition bring alleviation from the humanitarian catastrophe caused by Israel's offensive. Throughout the war, Israel restricted assistance introduction to Gaza — sometimes halting it altogether.
Famine was declared successful Gaza City, and the U.N. says it has verified much than 400 radical who died of malnutrition-related causes, including much than 100 children.
Israel says it fto successful capable food, accusing Hamas of stealing overmuch of it. The U.N. and different assistance agencies contradict the claim.
Israel's run successful Gaza has killed astir 68,000 Palestinians, according to the Health Ministry, which is portion of the Hamas-run authorities successful the territory. Its figures are seen arsenic a reliable estimation of wartime deaths by U.N. agencies and galore autarkic experts. Israel has disputed them without providing its ain toll.
Thousands much radical are missing, according to the Red Cross.
