The Prime Minister’s Office announced that a coordination between the IDF and Red Cross vehicles took place earlier on Thursday night, with the convoy heading to the Kerem Shalom crossing.
Israel has officially received the remains of four Israeli hostages through the Red Cross, with the bodies transferred to the IDF at Kerem Shalom, facilitated by Egyptian mediation. The initial identification process is now underway in Israel.
The families of the hostages have been kept continuously informed, and an official notification will be provided once the full identification process is completed.
Unlike previous handovers, which featured Hamas propaganda ceremony events, the remains are to be quietly transferred to Israel via Egypt.
More than 600 imprisoned Arab terrorists will be released after pathologists confirm the identities of the bodies.
Israeli officials are not confirming who is to be released until the bodies are identified, but these four are the last people on the list of 33 hostages to be released in the first phase of the ceasefire.
Shlomo Mansour, a native of Iraq, was a survivor of Baghdad’s 1941 “Farhud,” a two-day pogrom in which 180 Jews were killed, 900 homes destroyed and Jewish property looted. A carpenter and craftsman, Mansour was abducted from his home on Kibbutz Kissufim on the morning of October 7.On Feb. 11, 2025, the Israel Defense Forces declared Mansor dead based on intelligence. Mansour is survived by his wife of 60 years, children and grandchildren.
Ohad Yahalomi, a French-Israeli national, was shot during a gun battle with terrorists at Kibbutz Nir Oz. He had been sitting outside the safe room protecting his family when the door handle didn’t close properly. Also taken captive was his 12-year-old son, Eitan, who was freed in November 2023. His partner Bat Sheva and two younger daughters managed to escape captivity right before arriving to the border. Ohad was last seen in a Hamas propaganda video released in January 2024.
Itzik Elgarat, a 69-year-old Israeli-Danish national, was abducted from his home in Kibbutz Nir Oz. The last sign of life came from hostages freed in November who told the family they saw Elgarat being treated in the Nasser Hospital.
Tsahi Idan, of Kibbutz Nir Oz, was taken captive after terrorists shot and killed his 18-year-old daughter in front of him. Idan, a sports enthusiast who worked in high tech, is survived by his wife and two children.
The families of Idan, Elgarat and Mansour have confirmed that they have being notified by the Israeli officials that the remains of their loved ones are expected to be returned.
To expedite the exchange, pathologists will try to immediately confirm the identities of the bodies at the Kerem Shalom border crossing, a process that could take several hours. Once identified, Israeli authorities will begin the process of releasing 602 imprisoned Arab terrorists. The bodies will then be taken to the National Institute of Forensic Medicine to determine the cause of death.
The handover is taking place hours after the country said farewell to Shiri Bibas and her sons in an emotional funeral.
The completion of Wednesday night’s exchange will mark the conclusion of the first phase of the ceasefire agreement. The fate of the remaining 59 hostages is to be determined by negotiations. Critics say the phased approach condemns them to open-ended captivity and undermines Israel’s war gains.
At least 1,200 people were killed, and 252 Israelis and foreigners were taken hostage in Hamas’s attacks on Israeli communities near the Gaza border on October 7. Of the 59 remaining hostages, 32 are believed to be dead.
