Geneva – The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) warned on Tuesday that the process of returning the bodies of hostages and detainees killed in the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict may take much longer than anticipated, due to the difficulties of locating and retrieving remains from the rubble in Gaza.
After a ceasefire deal, Hamas released the final group of Israeli hostages on Monday, and in return, Israel sent Palestinian detainees back home. Despite this, the recovery of the bodies of deceased hostages remains a significant challenge. As of now, only four coffins containing the remains of deceased hostages have been returned to Israel, with more than 20 bodies still unaccounted for.
Christian Cardon, the ICRC spokesperson, described the situation as “a massive challenge.” He emphasized that finding the remains amidst the devastation in Gaza’s rubble may take weeks, and in some cases, it is possible that some bodies might never be located.
“The situation is even more difficult than the release of the living hostages,” Cardon said, underlining the extensive effort required to locate the deceased among the widespread destruction in Gaza. “This could take days or weeks, but there is also a very real possibility that some of the bodies may never be recovered,” he added.
The ICRC has urged both parties to prioritize the search for the missing bodies, recognizing the emotional and humanitarian importance of properly addressing the return of deceased individuals to their families.
