JERUSALEM, Nov. 26 (Xinhua) -- Israel said on Wednesday that human remains handed over by Palestinian groups belong to an Israeli hostage seized during the Hamas-led attack on Oct. 7, 2023.
In a statement, the Prime Minister's Office said forensic tests had identified the body as that of Dror Or. Officials notified his family that his remains had been returned to Israel.
The body was transferred to Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday by the Red Cross as part of an ongoing exchange between Israel and Hamas. The Islamic Jihad, a smaller group in Gaza, said on Monday it had located the remains during searches in central Gaza.
According to the Israeli military, intelligence indicates Or, 48, was killed by Islamic Jihad militants on the morning of the Oct. 7 assault. His body was taken to Gaza from his home in Kibbutz Be'eri in southern Israel.
His death was formally determined on May 2, 2024.
Or, a father of three, was killed along with his wife, Yonat, in the attack on the kibbutz. Two of their children, Alma and Noam, were abducted and released two years ago under a hostage-release deal in November 2023.
The bodies of two more hostages -- an Israeli and a Thai national -- are still being held in Gaza.
About 1,200 people were killed and 251 kidnapped in the 2023 attack, according to Israeli tallies.
In the ensuing Israeli onslaught, Israel killed at least 69,775 people in Gaza, reduced most of the enclave to rubble and created widespread famine, said Gaza health authorities.
Under the current ceasefire, which began on Oct. 10, Hamas is required to release 20 living captives and the bodies of 28 deceased hostages. While all living hostages were released at the start of the truce, the return of the bodies has been slow, with Hamas claiming that rubble and destruction have hindered searches.
In return, Israel released nearly 2,000 Palestinians from its prisons and returned the bodies of hundreds of deceased Palestinians. ■
