Israel receives remains of possible hostage and plans to reopen Gaza crossing into Egypt
After remains received on Tuesday were found to not match the last hostages, the Red Cross are now forensic testing what has been handed to them by Palestinian militants.
Islamic Jihad and Hamas militants carry a white body bag that is believed to be the remains of a deceased hostage, in the town of Beit Lahiya in northern Gaza Strip, Wed, Dec 3, 2025. (Photo: AP/Jehad Alshrafi)
JERUSALEM: Israel received remains of what could be one of the last hostages in Gaza on Wednesday (Dec 3) and said it will begin allowing Palestinians to leave the war-torn territory through a border crossing with Egypt.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said an attack by militants earlier in the day that wounded four Israeli soldiers in southern Gaza was a violation of the ceasefire and that Israel “will respond accordingly.”
The remains found by militants in northern Gaza were returned to Israel, where they will be examined by forensics experts. Remains militants handed over on Tuesday did not match either of the last two hostages in Gaza.
The return of all the hostages taken on the Oct 7, 2023, attack that started the war is a key element of the first phase of the ceasefire that began in October. In exchange, Israel has been releasing Palestinian prisoners.
Under the terms of the ceasefire, the long-closed Rafah crossing is to be opened for medical evacuations and travel to and from Gaza. The World Health Organization says there are more than 16,500 sick and wounded people who need to leave Gaza for medical care.
It was not immediately clear when the border crossing would be opened, however.
Egypt wants Palestinians to be able to return to Gaza through the crossing and says it would only be opened if movement is allowed both ways. Israel says Palestinians will not be able to return to Gaza through the crossing until the last hostages' remains are returned from Gaza.
Once the last hostages' remains are returned and Israel releases more Palestinian prisoners in exchange, the US-backed ceasefire plan is supposed to advance to the next phases, which call for creating an international stabilization force, forming a technocratic Palestinian government and disarming Hamas.
Last two hostages in Gaza
Earlier on Wednesday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said forensic testing showed that partial remains returned by militants on Tuesday did not match either of the hostages still in Gaza. Palestinian militants later said they had found more remains in northern Gaza and turned them over to the Red Cross, which is acting as an intermediary.
The two hostage bodies still in Gaza are Israeli Ran Gvili and Thai national Sudthisak Rinthalak. Gvili was an Israeli police officer who helped people escape from the Nova music festival during the Oct 7 attack and was killed fighting at another location. Sudthisak Rinthalak was an agricultural worker from Thailand who had been employed at Kibbutz Be’eri, one of the hardest-hit communities in the attack.
A total of 31 workers from Thailand were abducted, the largest group of foreigners to be held in captivity. Most of them were released in the first and second ceasefires. The Thai Foreign Ministry has said in addition to the hostages, 46 Thais have been killed during the war.
Opening of Rafah crossing
The Israeli military body charged with facilitating aid to Gaza, COGAT, said Israel would coordinate with Egypt on the exit of Palestinians, under the supervision of a mission from the European Union.
Those wishing to leave Gaza will require “Israeli security approval," COGAT said.
The US State Department's Bureau of Near-Eastern Affairs, writing on X, cast the opening of the crossing as a measure that would afford “the most vulnerable Gazans” access to better medical care.
Palestinians who want to leave Gaza will be able to move through Rafah if Egypt agrees to receive them, Israeli government spokesperson Shosh Bedrosian said. But the crossing won't be open for Palestinians seeking to return to Gaza until all of the hostages in the territory are returned to Israel, she said.
Citing an unnamed Egyptian official, Egypt's State Information Service said, if an agreement is reached, the crossing will be opened for travel in both directions in accordance with the ceasefire plan advanced by US President Donald Trump.
Egypt fears that Palestinians allowed to leave Gaza might not be able to return.
Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi has warned that Israel might prompt an exodus from Gaza as a way to permanently expel people and “eliminate the Palestinian cause” for statehood. More than 100,000 Palestinians that left Gaza after the war started, including those wounded in the conflict, have been living in Egypt, according to Egyptian authorities.
The Rafah crossing was sealed off in May 2024 when Israel’s military invaded the area. It was briefly opened in February this year as part of a previous ceasefire for the evacuation of sick and wounded Palestinians.
