The Media Line: Israel Identifies 3 Returned Hostage Bodies, Says Fourth Is Gazan Civilian  

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Israel Identifies 3 Returned Hostage Bodies, Says Fourth Is Gazan Civilian  

By The Media Line Staff  

Israel on Tuesday confirmed that three of the four bodies returned from Gaza belonged to Israeli hostages, while the fourth was identified as a Palestinian from the Strip, not among those held by Hamas.  

The Israel Defense Forces said its representatives had notified the families of Staff Sgt. Tamir Nimrodi, 18, Uriel Baruch, 35, and Eitan Levy, 53, after forensic experts verified their identities. “Final conclusions will be formulated after the completion of the examination of the circumstances of death” at Abu Kabir, the military added.  

According to IDF intelligence, Baruch and Levy were both murdered by Hamas terrorists on October 7 near Mefalsim after fleeing the Nova music festival. Their bodies were taken to Gaza. Nimrodi, abducted alive from the Coordination and Liaison Administration base near the Erez Crossing, is believed to have been killed in captivity early in the war. His death had not been confirmed until now.  

Neither the IDF nor the Prime Minister’s Office addressed the identity of the fourth body returned by Hamas, which was later assessed to belong to a Palestinian from Gaza.  

“The Government of Israel shares in the profound grief of the Baruch, Nimrodi, and Levy families, and of all the families of the fallen hostages,” the Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement. The office also warned that Hamas “is required to fulfill its commitments to the mediators and to return [the remaining bodies] as part of the agreement’s implementation.” It pledged that Israel “will not compromise on this and will spare no effort until we bring back all of the fallen hostages—every single one of them.”  

A Hamas spokesman, Hazem Qassem, said the group was “following up on its commitments to return the bodies of hostage soldiers,” in what appeared to be an indirect response to Israeli accusations that it had violated the deal. He further accused Israel of “a serious violation of the agreement” through alleged attacks in Shejaiya and Rafah, calling on mediators “to compel Israel to abide by its commitments.”  

Hamas is still believed to be holding the bodies of 21 hostages in the Gaza Strip.