Army representatives on Wednesday morning notified the households of three Israeli hostages that the our bodies of their family members had been returned to Israel by Hamas the night time prior, together with one whose loss of life had not been confirmed by Israel till now. A fourth physique transferred to Israel by the phobia group belonged to an unidentified Palestinian, based on Israeli authorities.
The households of Workers Sgt. Tamir Nimrodi, 18, Uriel Baruch, 35 and Eitan Levy, 53, had been notified that their our bodies had been returned and had been recognized on the Abu Kabir Nationwide Institute of Forensic Drugs in Tel Aviv, the Israel Protection Forces stated in a press release.
The 4 our bodies handed over by Hamas to the Pink Cross on Tuesday night time in Gaza Metropolis, then transferred to the Israeli navy, had not been recognized by the phobia group.
The handover occurred after Israel accused Hamas of violating the not too long ago carried out ceasefire by withholding the our bodies of deceased hostages. Hamas launched the ultimate 20 residing hostages on Monday, in addition to the our bodies of 4 useless captives. Beneath the phrases of the ceasefire, all 28 deceased captives had been presupposed to be returned by Monday at midday, although there was leeway for Hamas to as an alternative switch all data it had on any of the 28 it didn’t maintain or couldn’t find.
Hamas returned solely 4 our bodies on Monday. After returning the stays of the three captives on Tuesday, the phobia group had but to return the our bodies of 21 useless hostages.
“The Authorities of Israel shares within the profound grief of the Baruch, Nimrodi and Levy households, and of all of the households of the fallen hostages,” stated the Prime Minister’s Workplace in a press release.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s workplace warned that Hamas “is required to meet its commitments to the mediators and to return [the remaining bodies] as a part of the settlement’s implementation.”
“We won’t compromise on this and can spare no effort till we deliver again the entire fallen hostages, each single one among them,” vowed the PMO.
Autos transporting 4 our bodies handed over following a ceasefire-hostage launch deal arrive on the Abu Kabir Forensic Institute, in Tel Aviv, on October 15, 2025. (AHMAD GHARABLI / AFP)
Following the completion of examinations at Abu Kabir, the IDF stated Wednesday that the fourth physique returned by Hamas didn’t belong to any of the hostages. The physique was assessed to belong to a Palestinian.
“Hamas is required to make all needed efforts to return the deceased hostages,” the IDF added.
Later Wednesday, a senior supply within the “resistance,” the time period used for terror teams in Gaza led by Hamas, informed Al Jazeera that “the physique the enemy claims doesn’t belong to an Israeli is that of a soldier who was captured in a resistance operation.”
The supply claimed that the incident occurred in Might 2024 within the Jabaliya refugee camp, throughout which an IDF soldier was ostensibly killed and captured.
On the time, the navy swiftly denied Hamas’s declare that it had captured a soldier in Jabalia, saying: “The IDF clarifies that there isn’t any incident of a soldier’s kidnapping.”
The fear group had aired a video exhibiting a bloodied individual being dragged alongside the bottom in a tunnel, and revealed photos of navy gear and submachine weapons which aren’t utilized by the Israeli navy.
Palestinian media on the time recognized the person within the video as Khalil Dawas, a Palestinian from the West Financial institution’s Aqabat Jabr camp, close to Jericho.
Replace concerning the alleged ambush of particular forces in a tunnel in Jabaliya on Might twenty fifth, 2024:
Two separate reviews have emerged concerning the alleged id of the person within the video: Khalil Dawas, a Palestinian from Aqabat Jabr, Jericho.
What does this probably imply? https://t.co/eIH3g13uHf pic.twitter.com/0fAU4lElC7— Tal Hagin (@talhagin) June 21, 2024
Earlier this yr, Hamas gave Israel a physique that it stated belonged to slain hostage Shiri Bibas, which was quickly recognized as a Palestinian lady. Bibas’s stays had been later handed over to Israel, and the physique of the Palestinian lady was returned to Gaza.
Hamas has knowledgeable the mediators that it’s going to switch 4 extra our bodies of deceased hostages to Israel on Wednesday, a Center Japanese diplomat and a second supply conversant in the matter informed The Instances of Israel on Tuesday.
The settlement stipulated that Hamas return all 48 hostages, residing and useless, inside 72 hours of the deal taking impact, a interval that started on Friday. However the chance arose that there can be a delay in finding the useless hostages’ our bodies within the war-torn Strip.
Now, disputes harking back to previous ceasefires are resurfacing, as small teams of deceased hostages are handed over in phases amid fears that the settlement might collapse.
Israel has claimed Hamas is breaking the deal by delaying the return of the useless captives. And households of these held in Gaza have fumed that Israeli celebrations are untimely, on condition that the terrorists who perpetrated the October 7, 2023, assault that launched the struggle are nonetheless holding hostages.
Tamir Nimrodi
Nimrodi — who served as an Schooling Corps noncommissioned officer on the Coordinator of Authorities Actions within the Territories’ Coordination and Liaison Administration to the Gaza Strip — was one among two hostages whose fates had been unknown till their our bodies had been returned to Israel.
Tamir Nimrodi, middle, taken hostage from his military base on October 7, 2023, together with his two youthful sisters, Mika, left and Amit (Courtesy)
He was seen alive alongside his mates, Sgt. Ron Sherman and Cpl. Nik Beizer, in a video of his abduction from his base close to the Erez Crossing, however he was not confirmed useless by the IDF till his physique was recognized on Wednesday morning.
“After two years of torturous however hopeful uncertainty, we obtained the troublesome information of our beloved Tamir’s identification,” his members of the family stated in a press release on Wednesday, including that they had been “in ache, however we won’t for one second abandon the households of the hostages till the return of the final hostage.”
“That is the second that we so feared, the second I refused to imagine would come,” Tamir’s father, Alon Nimrodi, informed Channel 12 information in an interview on Wednesday.
“The entire time, I stated if there was a 0.01% likelihood, I might burn the world for Tamir to come back dwelling alive and effectively, however sadly, we bought the information this morning.”
Requested whether or not there was any reduction within the definitive information of his son’s destiny, Alon stated they had been feeling a horrible reduction at having obtained Tamir’s physique.
Alon Nimrodi, the daddy of captive Tamir Nimrodi, addressing the group at a protest for the hostages at Hostages Sq. in Tel Aviv, September 20, 2025. (Lior Rotstein / Hostages and Lacking Households Discussion board)
In contradicting statements, Nimrodi’s household stated that Tamir was “murdered in Hamas captivity,” however the Hostages and Lacking Households Discussion board — a bunch representing the households of many of the hostages — stated he had been killed in an IDF airstrike throughout the struggle within the Gaza Strip.
The IDF stated it assessed that Nimrodi was killed in captivity initially of the struggle. “Closing conclusions might be formulated after the completion of the examination of the circumstances of loss of life” at Abu Kabir, the navy stated.
“Tamir Nimrodi had accomplished 10 months of his navy service earlier than he was kidnapped to Gaza,” the Discussion board wrote in a press release on Wednesday. “Throughout his service, he felt like he had discovered his objective and had interviewed for officer coaching solely every week earlier than he was taken hostage. His family and friends say he was a social and caring man. Tamir was not presupposed to be on base on October 7 however volunteered to remain for that weekend [which coincided with Simchat Torah] so his mates might have fun the vacation at dwelling with their households.”
Safety forces pay their respects because the convoy carrying 4 our bodies, three of them hostages, arrives on the Abu Kabir Forensic Institute in Tel Aviv, on October 15, 2025. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)
The discussion board stated that quickly after his abduction, a word penned by Tamir was present in his room, studying, “Assist as many individuals as potential, create a detailed social circle and don’t damage anybody.”
He’s survived by his dad and mom, Cherut and Alon, and sisters Amit and Mika.
Tamir’s funeral will happen on Thursday at 1 p.m. on the navy cemetery in Kfar Saba, and Alon requested that “each individual whom Tamir touched a little bit come and pay ultimate respects to my hero.”
Uriel Baruch
Baruch, based on the IDF’s intelligence, was murdered by Hamas on October 7, 2023, close to the border group of Mefalsim after fleeing the Nova music competition close to Re’im, and his physique was kidnapped to Gaza.
Baruch attended the Nova competition together with his good friend, Michel Yoav, who was seen shot useless in a video from the assault, however Baruch’s destiny was unclear as he may very well be seen mendacity on the bottom close by within the footage.
Uriel Baruch, who was murdered and brought hostage from the Nova desert rave by Hamas terrorists on October 7, 2023, and whose physique was returned on October 14, 2025. (Courtesy)
However in March of final yr, the IDF notified the household that it had intelligence that Baruch had been murdered throughout the assault and his physique had been taken to Gaza. The household sat shiva, the weeklong mourning interval, however didn’t maintain a funeral.
He’s survived by his spouse Racheli; sons, Shalev, 10, and Ofek, 6; dad and mom, Naomi and Amir; and three brothers, Roee, Idan and Ohad.
Baruch’s household stated a memorial ceremony that had been deliberate earlier than his physique was returned would nonetheless be held at 6 p.m. on Wednesday night and that particulars of his burial can be introduced later.
The Hostages and Lacking Households Discussion board stated his household and mates described him as “a contented man who beloved life and journey.”
“He was all the time surrounded by mates. He would assist anybody who was in misery, and his motto was ‘Stay like there’s no tomorrow,’” the discussion board added.
“Uriel, my beloved brother, our coronary heart has returned,” Idan wrote on Instagram following the announcement of his identification.
Uriel’s sister-in-law, Rikki Baruch, informed Channel 12 Information on Wednesday morning that the household had advanced feelings.
“It’s closure, [but there’s] very deep grief,” she stated. “All the things is rising to the floor, all of the troublesome feelings from October 7 are getting stronger. It’s not what we wished for, however there’s closure and peace. Now, we will begin considering of rehabilitating the household and the kids.”
She added that Uriel’s children had been in remedy, and he or she didn’t know what their precise emotional state was.
“They’re surrounded by professionals who clarify the difficult state of affairs to them and that it has come to a sure ending.”
Eitan Levy
Levy, a cab driver, was kidnapped after dropping a passenger off in Kibbutz Be’eri on the morning of October 7, 2023. Whereas driving away from the kibbutz, he ran right into a Hamas ambush close to Mefalsim and was murdered and kidnapped.
It took 40 days for the household to obtain affirmation that he was being held captive in Gaza, and in December of 2023, they had been informed that he had been murdered earlier than being taken to Gaza.
Eitan Levy (Courtesy)
In August 2024, his household agreed to launch graphic footage of Levy’s physique being pushed by way of the streets of Gaza and being kicked and stomped on by Gazans.
After his loss of life was confirmed, Eitan’s household held a memorial service and sat shiva, the weeklong mourning interval, however was not capable of maintain a funeral.
He’s survived by his son Shahar, his fiancée Shir, and his sister Sigi.
Levy additionally acted as a father determine to the three kids his ex-wife, Aviva, had along with her spouse, Chen: Sunny, River and Reef.
Eitan and Aviva wed in 1999 and Shahar was born in 2001. When he was seven, the couple divorced, and a number of other years later, Aviva married Chen they usually had three kids. Eitan was an integral a part of the household, they stated, stopping by nearly each morning after an evening shift driving his cab and having Friday night time dinner collectively each weekend.
The discussion board stated Levy’s family and friends described him as “a heat and loving household man who all the time took care of these round him earlier than himself. He was a accountable man who was devoted to each place he got here to and everybody talked about his large coronary heart. His largest loves had been his solely son, Shahar, and his two canine.”
His son, Shahar, informed Laisha journal that his father “was very family-oriented and really pleased. He didn’t have a easy life, however even when he had unhappy moments, he didn’t allow us to really feel them. Anytime he would come over — and he would come to us lots — it was joyous.”
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