The latest hostage remains returned from Gaza have been identified as an Israeli man who died while fighting Hamas in the October 7 attacks, the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement.
Lior Rudaeff, 61, was born in Argentina but moved to Israel as a child, according to the Hostages and Missing Families Forum.
He lived in Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak, a farming community in southern Israel, where he volunteered as an ambulance driver for more than 40 years.
A Red Cross convoy carries the remains of Mr Rudaeff. Pic: AP
He was a member of the community’s emergency response team and died defending the kibbutz when Hamas fighters attacked on 7 October 2023, the forum said.
Mr Rudaeff’s body was taken to Gaza and handed back to Israel on Friday as part of the ceasefire agreement, which includes Hamas having to return all hostages and their remains.
Hamas has already returned 23 hostages, but there are five bodies left to be returned under the terms of the ceasefire that took effect on 10 October.
As part of the deal, Israel has returned the bodies of 15 Palestinians for each Israeli hostage. Hospital officials in Hamas-run Gaza said they have received another 15 bodies on Saturday.
Trucks carrying aid drive through Khan Younis, southern Gaza. Pic: AP
The bodies of 300 Palestinians have been returned so far, but authorities in Gaza have struggled to identify them without access to DNA kits, and have only identified 89 of the bodies, according to Gaza’s health ministry.
Meanwhile, UN officials have warned that the levels of humanitarian aid flowing into the territory fall well short of what Palestinians require.
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Under the terms of the ceasefire, Israel is supposed to allow substantially more aid into Gaza.
Deputy UN spokesperson Farhan Haqq said more than 200,000 metric tonnes of aid are positioned to move in – but only 37,000 tonnes have arrived so far.
