Hamas on Tuesday handed over another body of a deceased Israeli soldier to the Red Cross, which transferred the remains to Israel, as the IDF continues to launch attacks in Gaza despite the ceasefire deal.
The body was confirmed to be Itay Chay, an IDF soldier with Israeli and US citizenship who was killed when his tank unit was attacked on October 7, 2023, and was taken into Gaza.
The Israeli government initially tried to blow up the ceasefire deal after Hamas didn’t release all the remains at once, but before the agreement was signed, it was clear it would take time to find all of the bodies, and the deal included a mechanism to retrieve them.
Israeli officials have previously said that there’s a chance not all of the hostage bodies will be recovered, but Israel’s Channel 12 reported on Tuesday that military officials believe that all of them can be returned through “strenuous work and cooperation” with Hamas and other parties. Israel has handed over 15 Palestinian bodies for each Israeli body that has been recovered.
While Hamas has continued to work to recover the Israeli bodies, the IDF has continued its attacks in Gaza. According to Al Jazeera, at least two Palestinians were killed on Tuesday, one who was shot by an Israeli quadcopter drone in eastern Gaza City and another who was killed by Israeli army fire in Jabalia, northern Gaza.
The IDF acknowledged one attack, claiming that it killed a person in northern Gaza who allegedly crossed the yellow line, the vague boundary that Israeli troops withdrew to under the ceasefire deal, which is not clearly marked on the ground. The IDF called the person a “terrorist,” but the Israeli government’s policy is to shoot anyone who crosses the line, regardless of whether or not they’re armed.
Gaza’s Health Ministry said on Tuesday that since the ceasefire went into effect, Israeli attacks have killed 240 people and injured 607. Another 511 bodies have been recovered from the rubble. Since October 7, 2023, the ministry’s death toll has reached 68,872, though studies have found the number is likely a significant undercount.
