Israel Receives Remains of Three Soldiers from Hamas, Ongoing Tensions Persist

Tue Nov 04 2025 03:17:42 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

The Israeli government has confirmed the identities of three fallen soldiers, whose remains were returned by Hamas, but the situation remains tense as accusations and delays continue.

Israel has confirmed that the bodies of Colonel Asaf Hamami, Captain Omer Neutra, and Staff Sergeant Oz Daniel, who died in the October 2023 Hamas attack, have been handed over by Hamas through the Red Cross. This returns focus to the eight remaining hostages still in Gaza and highlights ongoing tensions between Hamas and Israel regarding ceasefire agreements and the repatriation of hostages' remains.

Israel has confirmed the identities of three deceased hostages whose bodies it received from Hamas via the Red Cross in Gaza on Sunday.

Forensic tests showed the remains were those of Israeli soldiers Col Asaf Hamami, 40, Capt Omer Neutra, 21, and Staff Sgt Oz Daniel, 19, the prime minister's office said.

The confirmation means eight dead Israeli and foreign hostages are still in Gaza.

Under the first phase of the US-brokered ceasefire deal with Israel that started more than three weeks ago, Hamas agreed to return all 20 living and 28 dead hostages it was holding.

Israel has accused Hamas of deliberately delaying the recovery of the dead hostages' bodies, while Hamas has insisted it is struggling to find them under rubble.

The slow progress has meant there has been no advance on any of the substantive issues in the second phase of the ceasefire deal, including plans for the governance of Gaza, the withdrawal of Israeli troops, the disarmament of Hamas, and how to organise the reconstruction of a territory left devastated by two years of war.

Hamas's armed wing, the al-Qassam Brigades, handed over the remains of the three hostages to the Red Cross on Sunday night after saying they had been found along the route of one of the tunnels in the southern Gaza Strip.

The bodies were transferred to Israeli forces in Gaza before being transported to the National Centre of Forensic Medicine in Tel Aviv for identification.

On Monday morning, the Israeli prime minister's office announced that the remains belonged to Col Hamami, Capt Neutra and Staff Sgt Daniel.

Col Hamami was commander of the Southern Brigade of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Gaza Division. The IDF said the father-of-three was among the first troops to reach the combat zones following the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023 and was the first to declare war. He was killed fighting near Kibbutz Nirim and his body was then taken to Gaza by Hamas as a hostage, it added.

Capt Neutra, an Israeli-American dual national who was born in the US and emigrated to Israel, was serving as a platoon commander in the IDF's 7th Brigade. The IDF said he was killed in battle near the Gaza perimeter and that his body was abducted by Hamas.

Staff Sgt Daniel was serving in the IDF's 7th Armoured Brigade. He was also killed during a battle with Hamas gunmen near the Gaza perimeter and his body was taken by them as a hostage, according to the IDF.

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum in Israel stated it bows its head in sorrow and shares in the profound grief of the three men's families.

Hamas and Israel have accused each other of repeated violations of the ceasefire since it took effect on 10 October. As tensions continue, both parties struggle with the implications of dealing with the unresolved status of remaining hostages.