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Red Cross vehicles carrying the bodies of three people believed to be deceased hostages handed over by Hamas, make their way toward the border crossing with Israel, to be transferred to Israeli authorities, in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, Sunday, November 2, 2025. (Jehad Alshrafi/AP via CNN Newsource)
By Tal Shalev, CNN
Jerusalem (CNN) — Israel on Sunday received the bodies of three more deceased hostages held in Gaza.
The remains were transferred to Israel via the Red Cross and taken to the country’s national forensics laboratory for identification.
US President Donald Trump said the body of an Israeli-American dual national, Omer Neutra, was among the dead hostages Hamas gave Israel on Sunday. Capt. Neutra, 21, was serving as a tank platoon commander with the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) when he was killed in the initial Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One en route to Washington, Trump said he spoke to the parents of Neutra. “They’re thrilled, in one sense, but in another sense, obviously, it’s not too great, but we’re very happy to have done it,” he said.
On Monday morning, the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office said the other two bodies were identified as Col. Asaf Hamami and Staff Sgt. Oz Daniel.
Hamami, 40, was killed in combat on October 7, 2023. Two months later, his death was officially declared.
Daniel, 19, was also killed in combat along the Gaza border that same day. His body was taken by Hamas and held for more than two years, with his death officially declared in February 2024.
The latest transfer of remains comes after Hamas handed over the bodies of two deceased hostages on Thursday evening, identified as Amiram Cooper, 84, and Sahar Baruch, 25.
Hamas had also handed over the remains of three deceased individuals over the weekend, but they were not identified as belonging to any of the deceased hostages, an Israeli official said on Saturday.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that Israel is committed to ensuring the return of all the deceased hostages. Speaking at the weekly cabinet meeting, Netanyahu accused Hamas of “pathetic attempts to deceive us, the United States, and the world. They will, of course, fail, and we will gradually bring back all our hostages.”
He added that Israel is still operating against “Hamas pockets” in Rafah and Khan Younis, areas that are under Israel Defense Forces (IDF) control, “and we are systematically eliminating them.”
As the mission of returning the remaining deceased hostages draws closer to its conclusion, the IDF announced Sunday that Major General (Res.) Nitzan Alon, head of the Hostages and Missing Persons Directorate, will conclude his tenure at his own request after more than two years in the role.
Alon, who held the job since October 7, oversaw the efforts to rescue and return the hostages from the military side and played a key role in the negotiations that secured their release. The hostages families regarded him as one of the most trusted figures taking part in the effort.
In a statement, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir said the return of the hostages remains a national and moral imperative, stressing that “the mission is not complete while any deceased hostages remain in Gaza. The IDF and security establishment will continue to pursue all efforts to bring them home.”
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