Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has publicly implied for the first time that not all the deceased hostages held captive in Gaza will return.
In a televised address, Netanyahu said that Israel will work to locate all of the dead hostages in Gaza “as soon as possible,” underscoring previous assessments that Hamas may not be able to find and return all of their remains.
CNN previously reported that the Israeli government has, for months, been aware that Hamas may not know the location of, or is unable to retrieve, the remains of some of the 28 remaining deceased hostages.
Forty-seven hostages who were kidnapped in the October 7, 2023, attacks are still in Gaza, with at least 20 believed to be alive. The remains of another hostage, Israel Defense Forces soldier Hadar Goldin, who was killed in 2014, have been held there since.
Saying that he fulfilled his promise to the families of the 48 hostages, Netanyahu said, “we would not give up on anyone.”
“And indeed, all the hostages will return to us. In the coming days, God willing, we will bring them all,” he said.
Netanyahu added: “We will bring the deceased hostages to burial in Israel. We will work to locate all of them as soon as possible, and we will fulfill this as a sacred duty of mutual responsibility.”
Remember: The ceasefire agreement outlines that a joint task force will be set up to try and find the dead hostages’ remains. That task force will include representation from Israel, the United States, Egypt, Qatar and Turkey, according to the agreement.