Hamas hands over 3 coffins containing remains of hostages to Israel, including an American citizen

The body of Omer Neutra, a US citizen, has been returned by Hamas along with two other deceased hostages, President Donald Trump confirmed on Sunday.

Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One returning to Washington from Florida, Trump also said he had spoken to Neutra’s parents.

“We received Neutra, from New York, from the United States and I spoke to his parents,” the president said.

“They’re thrilled in one sense, but in another sense, obviously not too much. We’re very happy we did it. We have three. We recovered three bodies today that they found, and we’re looking for the rest,” Trump added.

Neutra had joined the Israeli army after a gap year in Israel in 2020 and attended Binghamton University.

The Red Cross will receive “several coffins of deceased hostages” in the Gaza Strip, according to the IDF

An image of Omer Neutra is on display during his memorial service Tuesday, December 3, 2024 at the Midway Jewish Center in Syosset, New York. (AP Photo/Philippe Marcelo)

Earlier Sunday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office announced that Israel had received the remains of three Israeli hostages through the Red Cross; the remains were recovered by IDF and Shin Bet forces inside the Gaza Strip, according to a statement.

The announcement said the bodies will be transferred to Israel, where they will be honored in a military ceremony led by the chief military rabbi.

Then, they will be taken to the National Center for Forensic Medicine of the Ministry of Health for identification. Once the process is complete, official notifications will be provided to families.

All the families of the deceased hostages have been informed and the government expressed its sincere condolences in a statement saying that “its heart is with them at this difficult time”.

The Red Cross will receive “several coffins of deceased hostages” in the Gaza Strip, according to the IDF

President Donald Trump announced an agreement between Israel and Hamas to release the hostages. (Léon Neal/Getty; Ahmad Gharabli/AFP via Getty)

The official statement also reaffirms Israel’s continued commitment to repatriating all hostages and states that efforts will continue “unabated and will not stop until the last hostage is returned home.”

The Israeli public was also urged to respect the privacy of families and avoid spreading unverified information, with updates provided only by official sources.

Although the identities of the bodies have not yet been confirmed, Hamas said they were three Israeli soldiers.

HAMAS HANDOVER 3 DEAD HOSTAGES TO RED CROSS, SAYS ISRAEL

Hamas terrorists emerge escorting Red Cross vehicles carrying three Israeli hostages who are to be released as part of the ceasefire agreement. (TPS-IL)

So far, Hamas has returned 17 hostages who died since the ceasefire began on October 10. But 11 other hostage bodies are believed to still be in Gaza.

By Reuters, Israel claimed Hamas was slow to deliver the bodies of the deceased, while Hamas said it was working as quickly as possible but under difficult conditions.

Separately, before the hostages were released on Sunday, Israeli airstrikes hit Gaza, killing one man, according to reports.

Hamas has not yet handed over all the dead hostages to Israel. (Moiz Salhi/Anadolu via Getty Images)

The Israeli military claimed its planes struck a militant who posed a threat to its forces, while Al-Ahli Hospital said a man was killed in the airstrike in Gaza City, according to reports.

Hamas hands over remains of hostage whose body was found almost two years ago

Israeli soldiers inspect burned cars of festival-goers at the site of an attack on the Nova festival by Hamas gunmen from Gaza, near the Israel-Gaza Strip border in southern Israel, October 13, 2023. (Reuters/Amir Cohen)

“There are still pockets of Hamas in areas under our control in Gaza, and we are systematically eliminating them,” Netanyahu said on an Israeli broadcast.

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Hamas had agreed, in accordance with the ceasefire, to hand over the remains of 28 dead hostages in exchange for the bodies of 360 Palestinian militants killed in the Gaza war.