Israel says remains of another hostage returned from Gaza identified
Hamas had returned 13 bodies of hostages to Israel, out of the 28 it had pledged to return
Israel said Tuesday that remains of a hostage held in Gaza, returned by Hamas a day earlier, had been identified as those of Tal Chaimi, a non-commissioned officer killed on October 7, 2023.
"Following the completion of the identification process... representatives of (the army) informed the family of the hostage, Sergeant Major Tal Chaimi, of blessed memory, that their loved one had been returned to Israel and his identification had been completed," the Israeli prime minister's office said.
Tal Chaimi, 41, commander of the Nir Yitzhak kibbutz defence militia, was killed on the first day of the war triggered by Hamas's attack on Israel in October 2023. His body was taken to Gaza.
In a statement, the Hostage Families Forum, the principal organisation advocating for the return of captives from Gaza, said Chaimi had shown "exceptional courage, fighting for several hours" during Hamas's attack.
On Monday, Israel said it had received the remains of another missing hostage from Gaza as part of a US-brokered ceasefire deal that came into effect on 10 October.
Prior to this handover, Hamas had returned 12 bodies of hostages to Israel, out of the 28 it had pledged to return as part of the ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip.
Under the terms of the deal, the Palestinian militant group was supposed to have released all the hostages, living and dead, by October 13.
While 20 living hostages were released on time, Hamas said logistical difficulties, particularly in locating the bodies in a territory devastated by more than two years of war, prevented it from sticking to the schedule.