The ministry clarified in a statement on social media that 89 bodies have been identified so far out of the 300 received. It affirmed that its medical teams continue to handle the bodies in accordance with medical procedures and approved protocols, in preparation for completing examinations, documentation, and handing them over to the families of the deceased.
This comes after the Israeli army informed the family of Lior Rodaev on Saturday morning that the Palestinian movements “Hamas” and “Palestinian Islamic Jihad” returned his body to Israel on Friday evening, after forensic experts completed identifying his identity, according to the “Times of Israel”.
Rodaev, aged 61, was the deputy security coordinator at Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak and a member of the Israeli Civil Defense team. He was killed while engaging with elements of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad on the morning of October 7, 2023, and his body was abducted to Gaza.
Rodaev is the 23rd deceased hostage returned by “Hamas” since the ceasefire took effect on October 10, 2025, which ended the war that began when “Hamas” launched an attack on southern Israel, resulting in the death of 1,200 people and the abduction of 251 individuals as hostages in Gaza.
The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Friday that the Israeli army received the hostage’s body from the Red Cross and confirmed it is on its way to the forensic institute. Meanwhile, Israeli forces continue to violate the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, as their artillery targeted areas east of Khan Younis city and launched airstrikes on the eastern regions of the city.
