Returning hostage bodies from Gaza may take time, Red Cross says

Hamas freed the last living Israeli hostages from Gaza on Monday under a ceasefire deal and Israel sent home busloads of Palestinian detainees as Donald Trump declared an end to the war

International Red Cross vehicles arrive to transport the second batch of released Israeli hostages, south of Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip. Picture: Bashar Taleb/Getty

It may take considerable time to hand over remains of hostages and Palestinians who died during the Israel-Hamas war, a "massive challenge" given the difficulties of finding bodies in Gaza's rubble, the International Committee of the Red Cross said.

Palestinian militant group Hamas freed the last living Israeli hostages from Gaza on Monday under a ceasefire deal and Israel sent home busloads of Palestinian detainees as US president Donald Trump declared an end to the two-year war.

But only four coffins containing the remains of deceased hostages have so far been returned to Israel, leaving over 20 bodies yet to be located, prompting Israel on Tuesday to say it would keep a key aid crossing shuttered.

For its part, Israel is supposed to hand over an unspecified number of Palestinian bodies and it has released the first group, Palestinian health authorities said on Tuesday.

"The search for human remains is obviously an even bigger challenge than having the people alive being released. That's a massive challenge," ICRC spokesperson Christian Cardon said at a Geneva press briefing, adding it could take days or weeks.

People react as they watch a live broadcast of Israeli hostages released from Hamas captivity in the Gaza Strip, at a plaza known as hostages square in Tel Aviv. Picture: Oded Balilty/AP

"I think there is clearly a risk that that will take much more time. What we are telling the parties is that that should be their top priority," he said on Tuesday.

The Geneva-based ICRC said it is providing an additional 23 staff, body bags and refrigerated vehicles to ensure the deceased are handled with respect and dignity within Gaza, which was reduced to widespread ruins by the war.

"All parties must ensure that the return of human remains is done under dignified conditions, and uphold dignity and humanity," the ICRC added in a statement.

Cardon declined to discuss further details about the possible whereabouts of the deceased hostages, citing the sensitivity of the ongoing operation.

He praised the fact that the handover of the 20 living hostages on Monday was done discreetly, without a repeat of the Hamas-directed hostage release ceremonies of previous transfers.

The ICRC, a neutral humanitarian intermediary, has facilitated the transfer of 172 hostages and 3,472 Palestinian detainees since the war began on October 7, 2023.