Search for Israeli hostage bodies continues in Khan Younis

Search operation continued Friday to recover the bodies of Israeli hostages from the ruins of Khan Younis in southern Gaza, with the efforts hampered by the scale of destruction and lack of machinery.

The operation remains slow and hazardous, with Hamas citing technical difficulties and a lack of heavy machinery needed to expedite the search beneath the rubble.

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Search for Israeli hostage bodies continues in Khan Younis

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Search for Israeli hostage bodies continues in Khan Younis

The return of hostage remains is part of a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas that took effect last week. Under the first phase, Israel agreed to withdraw troops from Gaza City, Rafah, Khan Younis and the north, while both sides committed to exchanging hostages and prisoners and opening five aid crossings.

Early Saturday, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it received a coffin from the Red Cross containing the body of an unidentified Israeli hostage. Escorted by IDF troops, the coffin crossed into Israel and was sent to the National Institute for Forensic Medicine in Tel Aviv for identification.

This marks the 10th body Hamas has handed over this week, out of 28 it is obliged to return under the peace plan. On Monday, Hamas also released 20 live Israeli hostages who had been held in Gaza for two years.

The death toll in the war-torn Gaza Strip has risen to 71,455 since the conflict between Hamas and Israel erupted on Oct 7, 2023, with the number of injuries reaching 171,347, Gaza's health authorities said on Friday.

In the past 24 hours, hospitals in Gaza received 14 more bodies, including 12 new deaths and two bodies recovered from the rubble, in addition to 18 new injuries as of 11:00 on Friday, the authorities said.

Since the ceasefire agreement took effect on Oct 11, 2025, Israeli attacks have killed 463 people and wounded 1,269 others, according to the Gaza health authorities.