Israel on Friday evening received a coffin containing the body of a murdered hostage, the Prime Minister’s Office said.
“Israel has received, via the Red Cross, a coffin containing the remains of a deceased hostage, which was handed over to an IDF and ISA force inside the Gaza Strip. From there the coffin will be transferred to Israel, where it will be received in a military ceremony in the presence of an IDF Rabbi,” the statement said.
The coffin will then be transferred to the Health Ministry National Center of Forensic Medicine. Upon completion of the identification process, formal notification will be delivered to the family.
“All of the hostages' families have been updated accordingly, and our hearts are with them in this difficult hour. The effort to return our hostages is ongoing and will not cease until the last hostage is returned.”
“The public is requested to respect the families' privacy and to refrain from spreading rumors and unofficial and unverified information. We will continue to provide updates with reliable information as necessary,” the statement concluded.
The IDF and Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) also confirmed that the coffin, escorted by IDF troops, crossed the border into the State of Israel a short while ago and is on its way to the National Institute for Forensic Medicine, where identification procedures will be carried out, the IDF and Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) announced.
“IDF representatives are accompanying the families. The IDF urges the public to act with sensitivity and wait for official identification, which will first be communicated to the families of the deceased hostages,” it said.
The announcement came after the Islamic Jihad terrorist organization said earlier on Friday evening that it would be handing over the body of a hostage via the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
As of Friday, there are six bodies of hostages still being held in Gaza: Meny Godard, Hadar Goldin, Ran Gvili, Dror Or, Lior Rudaeff, and Sudthisak Rinthalak.
The Hamas terrorist organization, which controls the Gaza Strip, was required to return all the hostages in its possession within 72 hours, as part of US President Donald Trump’s Gaza peace plan.
The group released all 20 living hostages it held in time, but has stalled on the return of the deceased hostages.
On Wednesday night, the body of foreign student Joshua Loitu Mollel was returned by the terrorist organization.
(Arutz Sheva-Israel National News' North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Israel National News articles, however, is Israeli time.)