Unidentified Remains of 3 People Transferred to Israel, Red Cross Says

People gather around vehicles of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Khan Yunis, southern Gaza Strip, on October 26, 2025. Search operations are underway in the Gaza Strip to locate and recover the bodies of Israeli captives as part of the cease-fire and prisoner-hostage exchange deal between Hamas and Israel. Representatives from Hamas’ armed wing, the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, and the ICRC met in Khan Yunis to coordinate the recovery efforts. (Photo by Abdelrahman Rashad / Middle East Images via AFP) (Photo by ABDELRAHMAN RASHAD/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — The Red Cross says it has transferred the unidentified remains of three people to Israel but an Israeli military official says they were still being examined and may not be those of missing hostages. The official, who spoke Friday on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to speak to the media, said the remains had been turned over to the Red Cross by Hamas in Gaza. The handover follows Israel’s return earlier Friday of the bodies of 30 Palestinians to authorities in Gaza. That completed an exchange after militants turned over remains of two hostages, in a sign that the tense Israel-Hamas ceasefire agreement is edging forward.