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Key Points
- Israel received a body that Hamas says belongs to one of the last two deceased hostages in Gaza.
- Returning the final hostage bodies is a key condition of the first phase of the plan to end the two-year Gaza war.
- Israeli attacks in Gaza have continued, with over 350 Palestinians killed in the first 50 days of the ceasefire.
Israel has maintained the closure of the crossing since the ceasefire took effect in October, insisting that Hamas must fulfill the terms of the agreement by returning all hostages, both alive and deceased, still in Gaza.
Following the truce, Hamas has released all 20 living captives and handed over the bodies of 26 others, in return for approximately 2,000 Palestinian detainees and prisoners. However, the remains of two other deceased captives remain in Gaza.
During the initial 50 days of the ceasefire, Israeli forces have reportedly killed 357 Palestinians, as per Gaza’s health ministry. Meanwhile, Palestinian militants have been responsible for the deaths of three Israeli soldiers, according to Israeli officials.
The two remaining hostages are identified as Israeli police officer Ran Gvili and Thai national Sudthisak Rinthalak, both of whom were abducted during Hamas’ assault on Israel on October 7.
The two are Israeli police officer Ran Gvili and Thai national Sudthisak Rinthalak, both kidnapped during Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israel.
