Families beg for release of bodies of dead Gaza hostages for grim reason

The families of the dead hostages in Gaza are growing increasingly afraid that their loved ones’ bodies will be impossible to identify if the war with Hamas rages on.

The Hostage Families’ Forum’s medical division warned Tuesday that time is running out to recover the bodies of 35 dead hostages, suggesting that the dead captives may find themselves lost in anonymous burial places in the Gaza Strip.

In a report set to be published this later week, the forum also warned that if the captives are not released soon, the risk grows that the bodies could be severely damaged by “extreme heat, flooding, building collapses, sewage infiltration, and animal activity.”

“From a forensic perspective, the authors warn that further delay could eliminate the possibility of conducting valid pathological examinations, determining the cause of death, identifying signs of deliberate harm or abuse, and presenting legal evidence of possible criminal responsibility,” the forum said in a statement.

Such an outcome would only compound the grief and suffering of the families, the forum added, calling on Israel to do whatever it must to ensure the hostages are released.

“Without the return of the fallen hostages and in the absence of certainty, the families become the living-dead, and the fallen remain the dead-alive,” said Prof. Hagai Levine, the head of the forum’s Health Team. “This wound undermines the very trust upon which the social fabric relies.”

There are still 59 hostages being held by Hamas in Gaza, only 24 of whom are still believed to be living in nearly 600 days of captivity.

Among the 35 believed to be dead include Israeli-Americans Itay Chen, Omer Neutra, and Gadi and Judi Weinsten Haggai. A fifth American, Edan Alexander, 21, is believed to still be alive.

Despite the outcry from the families, former hostages and their supporters, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has insisted that military pressure remains the best solution to free the captives.

While the cease-fire negotiations have failed to make any progress since the war resumed last month, officials in Cairo claimed Monday that mediators were on the verge of a “significant breakthrough” in the peace talks.

Despite the progress, the officials said sticking points remained, including whether Hamas would be allowed to keep its weapons and remain in Gaza, the same key issue that caused all other cease-fire talks to fall apart.

Hamas maintains that it will never lay down its arms, with Israel refusing to end the war until it has assurances that the terror group can never threaten the Jewish state again.