One of the four bodies handed over to Israel by Hamas does not belong to an Israeli hostage but to a Gazan, a security official said following identification attempts at the Abu Kabir Forensic Institute.
According to another security source, the fourth body is that of a Gazan wearing an IDF uniform.
According to the first source, 21 deceased hostages remain in Hamas captivity, and additional bodies are expected to be transferred to Israel on Wednesday.
"Following the completion of examinations at the National Institute of Forensic Medicine, the fourth body handed over to Israel by Hamas does not match any of the hostages," the IDF confirmed.
"Hamas is required to make all necessary efforts to return the deceased hostages."
On Tuesday night, the bodies of three deceased hostages were identified: IDF soldier Tamir Nimrodi, Uriel Baruch, and Eitan Levy.
The Prime Minister’s Office stated: “The Hamas terror organization must uphold its commitments to the mediators and return the hostages’ bodies as part of the agreement’s implementation. We will not compromise on this and will spare no effort until we return all of the deceased hostages - until the very last one.”
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir responded: “Enough of this disgrace. Moments after opening the gates to hundreds of [aid] trucks, Hamas quickly returned to its familiar tactics - lying, deceiving, and tormenting families and the dead. Nazi terror only understands force, and the only way to solve problems with it is to erase it from the face of the earth.”