Hamas returned the bodies of four hostages on Tuesday, according to the Israel Defense Forces, as President Donald Trump warned the militant group that they must disarm.
“According to information provided by the Red Cross, four coffins of deceased hostages have been transferred into their custody and are on their way to IDF and ISA forces in the Gaza Strip. Hamas is required to uphold the agreement and take the necessary steps to return all the hostages,” the IDF posted on X.
The release of the remains comes after Hamas faced widespread criticism and accusations of violating Trump’s peace deal for returning the bodies of only four deceased hostages on Monday. The terms of the peace agreement stipulated that Hamas should release the remains of all 28 deceased hostages.
“I want them back. That’s what they said. I want them back,” Trump said at a press gathering on Monday. “Also, they said they were going to disarm,” he said.
“If they don’t disarm, we will disarm them,” Trump told reporters who asked how he would do that. “I don’t have to explain that to you, but if they don’t disarm, we will disarm them. They know I’m not playing games.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office identified the four deceased hostages received on Monday as Guy Ilouz, Daniel Peretz, Yossi Sharabi and Bipin Joshi.
Families across Israel, the Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank rejoiced as 20 hostages and some 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees were freed on Monday.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.