Israel’s assessment of Hamas’s ability to return the majority of hostage bodies contradicts statements made by top US officials over the past 24 hours.
On Friday, as the IDF completed its redeployment in Gaza and the 72-hour clock began ticking for Hamas to return the 20 living and 28 deceased hostages, an Israeli official told The Times of Israel that Jerusalem knew that the bodies of at least nine hostages would likely not be returned in the three-day window, but assessed that Hamas would be able to return the majority of the 28.
The assessment was based on Israeli intelligence, said the official.
In fact, Hamas had returned no bodies of deceased hostages by noon on Monday, when the deadline expired. It has yet to return 19 of the 28, and claimed on Wednesday that it cannot access or locate any more.
Defense Minister Israel Katz on Wednesday accused Hamas of violating the terms of the deal and threatened a return to the fighting in Gaza.
Published originally on October 16, 2025.
Read the full article at the Times of Israel.
