Israel Flags Major Problem with One of the Bodies Returned by Hamas: It 'Does Not Match Any of the Hostages'

Hamas delivered the remains of three Israeli hostages on Tuesday — but the fourth body handed over was not one of the hostages taken during the Oct. 7, 2023 massacre, Israeli officials said, deepening distrust in a deal that required the militant group to return all bodies in its possession.

Israel received the bodies of Staff Sgt. Tamir Nimrodi, 18; Eitan Levy, 53; and Uriel Baruch, 35, the Times of Israel reported. A fourth cadaver transferred by Hamas was later identified by Israeli forensic authorities as not matching any of the list of hostages, the Israel Defense Forces said, according to NBC.

“Following the completion of examinations at the National Institute of Forensic Medicine, the fourth body handed over to Israel by Hamas does not match any of the hostages,” the IDF said Wednesday.

With these returns, seven hostage bodies have now been repatriated to Israel. Israeli officials continue to assert that Hamas still holds the remains of dozens more: Israeli estimates have put the number of bodies in Gaza at 28. Meanwhile, all 20 hostages who survived captivity were released and returned to Israel on Monday.

Under the terms of the agreement, Hamas was obligated to return every body it held. But the exchange has been marred by accusations and counterclaims. Hamas told Al-Jazeera that the fourth body belonged to an Israeli soldier killed last year — a claim Israel has rejected, the Times of Israel reported. Israeli authorities say the incorrect handover could have been an error; a similar incident occurred in February, when a body initially identified by Hamas as slain hostage Shiri Bibas later proved not to be one of the hostages. Her body was returned to Israel after further investigation, the Jerusalem Post reported.

The Jerusalem Post also reported that another tranche of bodies was scheduled for release later Wednesday. Citing Israeli media, the Post suggested that Hamas initially did not take the terms of the deal seriously and has only recently begun more concerted efforts to recover and return the remains.

Families of those slain called for immediate, forceful action. Rotem Cooper — whose father, Amiram Cooper, is among the hostages who died in Gaza — insisted Hamas be compelled to honor its commitments. “It’s not over, and it’s going to be a longer battle,” he said, adding, “It’s clear to us that [Hamas] could have and should have released more, and they’re playing games.” Cooper urged President Donald Trump and Arab states to “show Hamas that this is not acceptable.”

The controversy is taking place against a broader diplomatic backdrop in which Israeli leaders and President Trump have insisted that any peace arrangement must include the demilitarization of Gaza. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu emphasized that demilitarization means dismantling Hamas’s arsenal and the groups’ infrastructure for weapons production and smuggling. “First, Hamas has to give up its arms. And second, you want to make sure that there are no weapons factories inside Gaza. There’s no smuggling of weapons into Gaza. That’s demilitarization,” Netanyahu said.

President Donald Trump warned that Hamas must relinquish its weapons or face forcible consequences. “They’re going to disarm, because they said they are going to disarm, and if they don’t disarm, we will disarm them,” he said. “And it’ll happen quickly and perhaps violently. But they will disarm.”

For bereaved families and Israeli officials alike, Tuesday’s developments underscored how fragile and contentious the exchanges remain — and how much skepticism persists about Hamas’s willingness to comply fully with its commitments.