Hamas Offers Cooperation to Retrieve Israeli Soldiers’ Bodies as Israel Blocks Forensic Tools and Fuels Media Incitement
Hamas’s military wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades, announced on Saturday its readiness to coordinate efforts to recover the bodies of Israeli soldiers located in Gaza’s “yellow zone.” The group called on international mediators and the International Committee of the Red Cross to provide the necessary teams and equipment to carry out recovery operations simultaneously at all sites.
Al-Qassam explained that its goal is to “bring this file to a close” and avoid any delay in returning the remains.
The group stated that it had offered three unidentified body samples on Friday to facilitate the process, but Israel initially refused to accept them, insisting on receiving full bodies for testing. “We handed them over anyway to expose Israel’s false claims,” the statement added.
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According to Haaretz, Israel had been informed beforehand that the remains were of uncertain identity. However, Channel 12 later reported that forensic tests confirmed the remains did not belong to any of the 11 known Israeli soldiers held captive.
Observers, meanwhile, pointed to Israel’s own restrictive policies as the root of the confusion. Associated Press reported on October 24 that Israel blocks the entry of DNA-testing materials into Gaza.
Similarly, the Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor confirmed that Israel prevents the entry of equipment needed to exhume bodies and identify victims, including laboratory tools, autopsy instruments, and DNA analysis kits.
This pattern is not new. On October 29, after Hamas returned a body that turned out not to be the captive Israel expected, the Israeli army launched heavy airstrikes across Gaza, killing 109 Palestinians, including 46 children, 20 women, and 7 people with disabilities, according to Gaza health authorities.
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