Since the U.S.-brokered ceasefire in Gaza began on Oct. 10, Palestinian militants have released the remains of 23 hostages held for the past two years. But the process of returning the bodies of the five remaining hostages, as called for under the truce deal, is progressing slowly.
Hamas says it has not been able to reach all of the remains because they are buried under rubble left by Israel’s two-year offensive in Gaza. Israel has accused the militants of dragging their feet and threatened to resume military operations or withhold humanitarian aid if all remains are not returned.
In the most recent release, Hamas returned the remains of an Israeli man who died while fighting Hamas in the militants' Oct. 7, 2023 attack that started the war. He was identified as Lior Rudaeff, who was 61 when he was killed.
In return, Israel has released the bodies of 285 Palestinians back to Gaza. Israel has not provided details on their identities, and it is unclear if they were people killed in Israel during the Oct. 7 attack, Palestinian detainees who died in Israeli custody or bodies taken from Gaza by Israeli troops during the war.
Health officials in Gaza have struggled to identify the bodies without access to DNA kits and have identified 84 of the bodies.
Here’s a look at the hostages whose remains have not been returned.
Meny Godard, 73
Meny Godard was a professional soccer player before enlisting in the Israeli military and serving in the 1973 Mideast War, according to Kibbutz Be’eri. He served in a variety of different positions in the kibbutz, including at its printing press.
On the morning of Oct. 7, Godard and his wife, Ayelet, were forced out of their home after it was set on fire. She hid in the bushes for a number of hours before militants discovered her and killed her. She was able to tell her children that Meny had been killed before she died. The family held a double funeral for the couple. They are survived by four children and six grandchildren.
Hadar Goldin, 23
Hadar Goldin’s remains are the only ones that have been held in Gaza since before the war. The Israeli soldier was killed on Aug. 1, 2014, two hours after a ceasefire took effect ending the that year’s war between Israel and Hamas. Based on evidence found in the tunnel where Goldin’s body was taken, including a blood-soaked shirt and prayer fringes, the military quickly determined that he had been killed in the attack.
Goldin is survived by his parents and three siblings, including a twin. He had proposed to his fiancée before he was killed. Earlier this year, Goldin’s family marked 4,000 days since his body was taken. The military retrieved the body of another soldier who was killed in the 2014 war earlier this year.
Ran Gvili, 24
Ran Gvili, who served in an elite police unit, was recovering from a broken shoulder he sustained in a motorcycle accident but rushed to assist fellow officers on Oct. 7. After helping people escape from the Nova music festival, he was killed fighting at another location and his body was taken to Gaza. The military confirmed his death four months later. He is survived by his parents and a sister.
Dror Or, 52
Dror Or was a father of three who worked at the dairy farm on Kibbutz Be’eri for 15 years, rising to the position of manager. He was an expert cheesemaker, according to family and friends. On Oct. 7, the family was hiding in their safe room when militants lit the house on fire. Dror and his wife, Yonat, were killed. Two of their children, Noam, 17, and Alma, 13, were abducted and released during the November 2023 ceasefire.
Sudthisak Rinthalak
Sudthisak Rinthalak was an agricultural worker from Thailand who had been employed at Kibbutz Be’eri. According to media reports, Rinthalak was divorced and had been working in Israel since 2017. A total of 31 workers from Thailand were kidnapped on Oct. 7, 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. Lior Rudaeff
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