Israel has confirmed that three more bodies recently returned by Hamas are not those of hostages taken by the terrorist group over two years ago.
Hamas handed over the remains of three people on Friday, as part of its obligations under the Gaza ceasefire struck last month. None of those are of the remaining hostages that Hamas has yet to return, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said on Saturday.
“The remains we received are not our hostages,” the office said, without providing any more information.
Israel’s confirmation is the latest instance of Hamas’s failure to uphold its duties under the ceasefire, the first phase of which required the terrorist group to release all living and deceased hostages within 72 hours of it taking effect.
Nearly a month later, 11 hostage remains are still due to be returned to Israel, and pressure is mounting.
President Donald Trump’s patience has worn thin with the pace of the release, with him recently warning of potential action from other countries if Hamas did not move quickly.
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That led to Egypt joining the recovery efforts, with teams entering the Gaza Strip with engineering vehicles and excavators to locate the bodies.
Some of those efforts were successful, as Hamas returned the bodies of two hostages on Thursday.