By The World Reports Desk | October 15, 2025
TEL AVIV – A body handed over by Hamas to Israel under the ongoing ceasefire arrangement is not one of the Israeli hostages, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed on Wednesday, adding further tension to an already fragile truce in Gaza.
“Following 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 said in a statement.
According to the Hostages Families Forum, the remains of Tamir Nimrodi, 20, Eitan Levy, 53, and Uriel Baruch, 35 were among those transferred on Tuesday, following the return of four other bodies earlier in the week.
So far, Israel has received seven hostages’ bodies out of an estimated 28 believed to have remained in Gaza. The IDF called on Hamas to make “all necessary efforts” to return the deceased hostages.
Hamas has not yet issued a statement responding to the Israeli military’s findings. Both Hamas and the International Committee of the Red Cross have previously said that recovering the bodies of hostages has been difficult amid Gaza’s widespread destruction.
An Israeli official said Sunday that if Hamas failed to return all of the hostages’ remains by Monday’s deadline, a special military unit would be deployed to retrieve them.
Netanyahu Warns Hamas Over Disarmament
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated on Tuesday that Hamas must fully disarm or face renewed Israeli military action, emphasizing that peace hinges on Gaza’s complete demilitarization.
“We agreed to give peace a chance,” Netanyahu said in an interview with CBS News. “First, Hamas has to give up its arms. And second, there can’t be weapons factories or smuggling inside Gaza.”
Former U.S. President Donald Trump, who brokered the ceasefire deal, echoed the same message during a meeting with Argentina’s President Javier Milei. “They’re going to disarm because they said they would. If they don’t, we will disarm them — quickly, and perhaps violently,” Trump said.
Netanyahu later responded, saying he hoped such drastic measures would not be necessary, though he acknowledged Trump’s warning that “all hell breaks loose” if Hamas resists.
Tensions Rise Inside Gaza
Within Gaza, reports suggest Hamas has tightened its control over the enclave. Reuters footage showed masked gunmen executing several men accused of collaborating with Israel. Other videos showed armed Hamas members patrolling Gaza City streets, enforcing what appears to be a new internal crackdown.
Gaza’s Ministry of Health reported that Israel returned the bodies of 45 Palestinians on Wednesday, bringing the total number of bodies handed over to 90.
The slow pace of hostage body returns has sparked concerns in Israel that humanitarian aid could be restricted. The United Nations confirmed it had received a letter from COGAT, Israel’s military liaison office, warning that the flow of aid could be halved due to Hamas’ delay.
U.N. Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq urged all parties to “uphold the ceasefire terms and ensure humanitarian access.”
Confusion Over Aid Deliveries
Under the ceasefire terms, around 600 trucks of aid from the U.N., donor nations, and private organizations were expected to cross into Gaza daily. However, the actual numbers remain unclear.
The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) cited COGAT data claiming 817 trucks entered Gaza on Sunday, but said it could not independently verify the figure. Deliveries were paused Monday and Tuesday due to the hostage transfer process and an Israeli national holiday.
World Food Programme spokesperson Abeer Etefa said the “scale-up stage” of humanitarian aid had not yet been achieved, while OCHA’s Olga Cherevko added, “We hope Wednesday’s deliveries return to the levels reported earlier this week.”
As the ceasefire wavers under mutual suspicion and slow progress, both sides face mounting international pressure to maintain restraint — and to ensure that humanitarian and recovery efforts in Gaza are not derailed by renewed violence.
