Hamas says it will hand over additional hostage remains on Wednesday as Israel prepares to allow Palestinians to leave Gaza through the long-closed Rafah crossing — key signs that the U.S.-brokered ceasefire continues to hold despite earlier complications over misidentified remains.
According to Hamas, newly located remains will be transferred to Israel, though it is unclear which hostage they belong to. Only two hostages — Israeli Ran Gvili and Thai national Sudthisak Rinthalak — are believed to still be in Gaza. Under the ceasefire agreement, the first phase of the deal concludes once both bodies are returned. The broader agreement stipulates that Rafah must reopen for medical evacuations and essential travel.
The World Health Organization estimates more than 16,500 injured or chronically ill Palestinians require urgent medical care outside Gaza. An Israeli official told The Associated Press that Rafah would open solely for Palestinians leaving Gaza, not entering. Egypt, which controls the opposite side, maintains the crossing should allow movement both ways. The 20-point ceasefire plan also includes creating an international stabilization force, forming a technocratic Palestinian government, and fully disarming Hamas. Hamas said it would transfer another hostage’s remains at 5 p.m. Once received, Israeli authorities will conduct testing to confirm whether they belong to one of the two remaining hostages.
This comes after a snag on Tuesday, when Israel determined that partial remains handed over by militants did not belong to either missing hostage. Hamas resumed searching and later said a body had been found in northern Gaza. Gvili, an Israeli police officer, was killed after helping civilians flee the Oct. 7 Nova music festival attack. Rinthalak was a Thai agricultural worker employed at Kibbutz Be’eri, one of the hardest-hit communities during the assault. Thirty-one Thai citizens were kidnapped during the war — the largest foreign hostage group — and 46 Thai nationals have been killed. Israel’s COGAT authority said Palestinians will soon be allowed to leave through Rafah, pending coordination with Egypt and supervision by a European Union mission.
Anyone attempting to cross will need Israeli security clearance. The U.S. State Department framed the opening as a humanitarian measure, noting it would allow the most vulnerable Gazans access to life-saving medical care abroad. An Israeli official, speaking anonymously, added that all Palestinians wishing to exit Gaza would be permitted to leave — if Egypt agrees to receive them.
