Israel receives remains of 2 more hostages as military says another body was not that of a hostage

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel received the remains of two more hostages Wednesday, hours after the Israeli military said that one of the bodies previously turned over was not that of a hostage. The confusion added to tensions over the fragile truce that has paused the two-year war.

The coffins carrying the remains were transferred by the Red Cross from Hamas. Upon returning to Israel, they were sent to a forensic lab in Tel Aviv. The military in a statement cautioned that the hostages’ identities had yet to be verified.

Meanwhile, the Gaza Health Ministry said it received 45 more bodies of Palestinians from Israel, another step in implementation of the ceasefire agreement. That brought to 90 the total number of bodies returned to Gaza for burial. The forensics team examining the remains said they showed signs of mistreatment.

As part of the deal, four bodies of hostages were handed over by Hamas on Tuesday, following four on Monday that were returned hours after the last 20 living hostages were released from Gaza. In all, Israel has been awaiting the return of the bodies of 28 hostages.

The Israeli military said forensic testing showed that "the fourth body handed over to Israel by Hamas does not match any of the hostages." There was no immediate word on whose body it was.

In exchange for the release of the hostages, Israel freed around 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees Monday.

Israel is expected to turn over more bodies, though officials have not said how many are in its custody or how many will be returned. It is unclear whether the remains belong to Palestinians who died in Israeli custody or were taken from Gaza by Israeli troops. Throughout the war, Israel’s military has exhumed bodies as part of its search for the remains of hostages.

As forensic teams examined the first remains returned, the Health Ministry on Wednesday released images of 32 unidentified bodies to help families recognize missing relatives.

Many appeared decomposed or burned. Some were missing limbs or teeth, while others were coated in sand and dust. Health officials have said Israeli restrictions on allowing DNA testing equipment into Gaza have often forced morgues to rely on physical features and clothing for identification.

The forensics team that received the bodies said some arrived still shackled or bearing signs of physical abuse.

Sameh Hamad, a member of a commission tasked with receiving the bodies at Khan Younis' Nasser Hospital, said some arrived with their hands and legs cuffed.

“There are signs of torture and executions,” he told The Associated Press.

The bodies, he said, belonged to men ages 25 to 70. Most had bands on their necks, including one that had a rope around the neck.

Most of the bodies wore civilian clothing, but some were in uniforms, suggesting they were militants.

Hamad said the Red Cross provided names for only three of the dead, leaving many families uncertain of their relatives’ fate. The fighting has killed nearly 68,000 Palestinians, according to the Health Ministry, which is part of the Hamas-run government in Gaza. The ministry maintains detailed casualty records that are seen as generally reliable by U.N. agencies and independent experts.

Thousands more people are missing, according to the Red Cross and Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics.

Rasmiya Qudeih, 52, waited outside Nasser Hospital, hoping her son would be among the 45 bodies transferred Wednesday from Israel.

He vanished on Oct. 7, 2023, the day of the Hamas-led attack that triggered the war. She was told he was killed by an Israeli strike.

“God willing, he will be with the bodies," she said.

The ceasefire plan introduced by U.S. President Donald Trump had called for all hostages — living and dead — to be handed over by a deadline that expired Monday. But under the deal, if that didn’t happen, Hamas was to share information about deceased hostages and try to hand them over as soon as possible.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday that Israel “will not compromise” and demanded that Hamas fulfill the requirements laid out in the ceasefire deal about the return of hostages’ bodies.

Trump, in an interview with CNN, warned that Israel could resume the war if he feels Hamas isn't upholding its end of the agreement.

“Israel will return to those streets as soon as I say the word," Trump said.

Hamas’ armed wing said in a statement Wednesday that the group honored the ceasefire’s terms and handed over the remains of the hostages it had access to.

Hamas has assured the U.S. through intermediaries that it is working to return dead hostages, according to two senior U.S. advisers. The advisers, who were not authorized to comment publicly and briefed reporters on the condition of anonymity, said they do not believe Hamas has violated the deal.

The widespread destruction in the territory has complicated the retrieval of the dead, the officials added. One of the advisers said debris as well as unexploded weapons add to the difficulty.

Hamas has told mediators that some bodies are in areas controlled by Israeli troops.

This is not the first time Hamas has returned a wrong body to Israel. During a previous ceasefire, the group said it handed over the bodies of Shiri Bibas and her two sons, who were among those taken in Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel, in which some 1,200 people were killed and 251 abducted.

Testing in February 2025 showed that one of the bodies returned was identified as a Palestinian woman. Bibas’ body was returned a day later.

The World Food Program said its trucks began arriving in Gaza after the entrance of humanitarian aid into Gaza was paused for two days due to the exchange on Monday and a Jewish holiday Tuesday.

The timing of the scaled-up deliveries — which are part of the ceasefire deal — was called into question after Israel said Tuesday that it would cut the number of trucks allowed into Gaza, saying Hamas was too slow to return the hostages' bodies.

The Egyptian Red Crescent said 400 trucks carrying food, fuel and medical supplies were bound for Gaza on Wednesday. The Israeli defense body overseeing humanitarian aid in Gaza, COGAT, declined to comment on the number of trucks expected to enter Gaza.

Magdy reported from Cairo and Shurafa from Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip. Associated Press writers Melanie Lidman in Tel Aviv, Israel, Sarah El Deeb in Cairo and Michelle Price and Aamer Madhani in Washington contributed to this report.

Red Cross vehicles carrying the bodies of deceased Palestinians held by Israel during the war arrive after their release, at the Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)

Trucks carrying aid from the World Food Programme (WFP) drive through in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)

Mourners gather near the car carrying the coffin of slain hostage Guy Illouz during his funeral procession in Rishon Lezion, Israel, Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2025. Illouz remains were returned from Gaza to Israel as part of a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

Palestinians rush toward trucks carrying aid from the World Food Programme (WFP) as they drive through Deir al-Balah in central Gaza, Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Mourners walk near the car carrying the coffin of slain hostage Guy Illouz during his funeral procession in Rishon Lezion, Israel, Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2025. Illouz remains were returned from Gaza to Israel as part of a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

Jewish revelers dance and hold up the Torah as they celebrate the holiday of Simchat Torah next to the plaza known as hostages square, in Tel Aviv, Israel, Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)

A gunman wearing the uniform of the al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, stands guard as Red Cross vehicles allegedly transporting coffins containing the bodies of four deceased hostages leave a warehouse for Israel, in Gaza City, Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Yousef Al Zanoun)

A gunman wearing the uniform of the al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, stands guard as Red Cross vehicles enter a warehouse allegedly to collect coffins containing the bodies of four deceased hostages, in Gaza City, Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Yousef Al Zanoun)

PORTLAND, Ore.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec 15, 2025--

MardiLyn Saathoff, General Counsel for NW Natural Holding Company (NYSE: NWN) (NW Natural Holdings), announced her intent to retire on April 1, 2026, after nearly 18 years of outstanding service to the company. The Board of Directors has appointed Megan H. Berge to succeed Saathoff as SVP and General Counsel, as well as Chief Compliance Officer and Corporate Secretary, effective January 1, 2026.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251215092233/en/

Saathoff will serve as Chief Legal Officer for the company and will retain responsibilities for regulation, business continuity and corporate security until her retirement next year.

“MardiLyn has been a steadfast and trusted leader of the NW Natural companies for nearly two decades,” said Justin B. Palfreyman, President and Chief Executive Officer of NW Natural Holdings. “She has had a tremendous impact on our organization and played a critical role guiding the business through its evolution from a natural gas utility in the Pacific Northwest to what is now a diversified company with four distinct businesses operating across seven states.”

Saathoff joined the company in 2008 and served as Chief Governance Officer and Corporate Secretary. During her tenure, she was appointed to roles that also oversaw other legal, risk, compliance, and regulatory matters. She has served as General Counsel since 2015.

Prior to her role at NW Natural, Saathoff’s career included leadership roles with several other leading institutions in the region, including legal roles at Tektronix, Danaher Corporation and Stoel Rives. Saathoff also spent four years with the Oregon Department of Justice and the administration of Oregon Governor Kulongoski.

Saathoff previously served as Chair of the Oregon Lottery Commission and is a past Director of the Boards of the Northwest Gas Association, Oregon Health & Science University, the Portland Center Stage, United Way of Columbia-Willamette, Oregon Nanoscience and Microtechnologies Institute, the Artists Repertory Theater, and the Classroom Law Project. She is also a past member of the Portland State University Business Advisory Council and previously served on the Oregon Public Officials Compensation Commission.

“We are fortunate to have benefited from MardiLyn’s counsel and breadth of legal, business and regulatory expertise for so many years, and we are now equally fortunate to welcome Megan into her new role,” said Palfreyman. “Megan is highly respected in the industry and a valued strategic partner among the leaders at our company. Megan’s addition to our team reflects our legacy of thoughtful succession planning that I believe sets us apart and positions us well across our growing businesses.”

Berge joined NW Natural Holdings in March 2025 as Deputy General Counsel and Corporate Secretary, as well as General Counsel of NW Natural, after a distinguished career with the international law firm Baker Botts, where she was a partner. Her practice included extensive rulemaking and advocacy work related to federal and state environmental law and civil litigation.

Berge has been nationally recognized by Chambers and Partners for climate law, as one of 500 Leading U.S. Environmental & Energy Lawyers by Lawdragon, and a Washington D.C. Super Lawyer-Rising Star by Thomson Reuters. She earned her law degree from the Francis King Carey School of Law at the University of Maryland and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Delaware.

About NW Natural Holdings

Northwest Natural Holding Company (NYSE: NWN) (NW Natural Holdings) is headquartered in Portland, Oregon and has been doing business for over 166 years. It owns Northwest Natural Gas Company (NW Natural), SiEnergy Operating (SiEnergy Gas Utility), NW Natural Water Company (NWN Water Utility), NW Natural Renewables Holdings (NWN Renewables), and other business interests.

NW Natural Holdings through its subsidiaries provides critical energy and delivers essential water and wastewater services to over one million meters across seven states. We have a longstanding commitment to safety, environmental stewardship, and taking care of our employees and communities. NW Natural Holdings was recognized by Ethisphere® for four years running as one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies®. NW Natural consistently leads the industry with high J.D. Power & Associates customer satisfaction scores.

NWN Gas Utility is a local distribution company that currently provides natural gas service to approximately 2 million people in more than 140 communities through approximately 807,000 meters in Oregon and Southwest Washington with one of the most modern pipeline systems in the nation. NW Natural owns and operates 21.6 Bcf of underground gas storage capacity in Oregon.

SiEnergy Gas Utility is one of the fastest growing natural gas distribution utilities in the nation, serving over 83,000 meters in the greater metropolitan areas of Houston, Dallas, and Austin, Texas.

NWN Water Utility provides water distribution and wastewater services to communities throughout the Pacific Northwest, Texas, Arizona, and California. Today NW Natural Water serves an estimated 195,000 people through approximately 78,600 meters and provides operation and maintenance services to an additional 40,000 connections. Learn more about our water business at nwnaturalwater.com.

NWN Renewables is committed to leading in the energy transition by providing renewable fuels. Learn more at nwnaturalrenewables.com.

Additional information is available at nwnaturalholdings.com.

“World’s Most Ethical Companies” and “Ethisphere” names and marks are registered trademarks of Ethisphere LLC

MardiLyn Saathoff, NW Natural Holdings