It comes after Israel received the bodies of two more hostages from the Red Cross on Saturday night.
The Israel Defence Forces said in a statement: “Following the completion of the identification process by the National Institute of Forensic Medicine, in cooperation with the Israel Police and the Military Rabbinate, IDF representatives informed the family of Ronen Tommy Engel that he had been returned for burial.
“Ronen Tommy Engel was killed by Hamas terrorists on October 7th, 2023, when he went out to defend his family from terrorists, and his body was taken into the Gaza Strip. Ronen, 54 years old at the time of his death, was abducted from his home in Nir Oz.
“His death was pronounced on December 1st, 2023. He leaves behind a wife, three children, and a brother. His wife, Karina, and his two daughters, Mika and Yuval, were also abducted and returned as part of the hostage release agreement in November 2023.”
Shortly after 10pm UK time on Saturday, Israel’s military said it had received two more bodies from the Red Cross after Hamas handed over “two coffins of deceased hostages”.
It came as tensions were beginning to rise over the closure of the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt.
Benjamin Netanyahu‘s office had said earlier on Saturday evening that it would stay closed “until further notice” – as the deadline for Hamas to return the bodies of the hostages had passed with no confirmation.
Mr Netanyahu had warned that its reopening would depend on how Hamas fulfilled its role in returning the remains of all 28 dead hostages.
The handover brings the count of returned bodies to 12 hostages, up from 10, according to Israel’s tally. Another 16 deceased hostages would then still have to be returned.
All 28 were supposed to have been handed over by last Monday.
The handover of remains is among key points – along with aid deliveries into Gaza and the devastated territory’s future – in the ceasefire process meant to end two years of war.
Israel’s foreign ministry had originally said the Rafah crossing would likely reopen on Sunday – another step in the fragile ceasefire. This has now been revised to being closed “until further notice”.
A fully reopened crossing would make it easier for Gazans to seek medical treatment, travel internationally or visit family in Egypt, which is home to tens of thousands of Palestinians.
It is unclear who will operate the crossing’s heavily damaged Gaza side once the war ends.
Meanwhile, Gaza’s ruins were being scoured for the dead, over a week into a ceasefire. Newly recovered bodies brought the Palestinian toll above 68,000, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
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The ministry, part of the Hamas-run government, does not distinguish between civilians and combatants in its count. But the ministry maintains detailed casualty records that are seen as generally reliable by UN agencies and independent experts.
Famine declared
Israel has disputed them without providing its own toll.
Hamas-led militants killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducted 251 people in the attack on southern Israel that sparked the war on October 7 2023.
Gaza’s more than two million people are hoping the ceasefire will bring relief from the humanitarian disaster caused by Israel’s offensive. Throughout the war, Israel restricted aid entry to Gaza – sometimes halting it altogether.
Famine was declared in Gaza City, and the UN says it has verified more than 400 people who died of malnutrition-related causes, including more than 100 children.
Officials in Israel say they have let in enough food, accusing Hamas of stealing much of it. The UN and other aid agencies deny this claim.
Hamas has again accused Israel of violating the ceasefire, claiming that 38 Palestinians had been killed since it began on Monday. There has been no immediate response from Israel.
Hamas accuses Israel of violations
On Friday, Gaza’s Civil Defence, first responders operating under the Hamas-run interior ministry, said nine people were killed when their vehicle was hit by Israeli fire in Gaza City. The Civil Defence said the car crossed into an Israeli-controlled area in eastern Gaza.
Israel’s military said it saw a “suspicious vehicle” crossing the so-called yellow line and approaching troops. It said it fired warning shots, but the vehicle continued to approach in a manner that posed an “imminent threat”. The army said it acted in accordance with the ceasefire.
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