The Israeli occupation army said in a statement that "the coffins of the two slain captives arrived in the country a short time ago, accompanied by an army force." It noted that the bodies were transferred to the National Institute of Forensic Medicine, where identification tests will be conducted.
In a separate statement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said that "Israel received two coffins for the kidnapped soldiers from the Red Cross," without providing further details on the identities of the dead.
Thus, the Qassam Brigades had handed over 10 bodies of Israeli prisoners by Wednesday evening, while Israel estimated that 18 bodies remained. It also claimed that one of the bodies received did not match any of its prisoners.
The Qassam Brigades stated that the remaining bodies require extensive efforts and special search and extraction equipment, stressing that they are making a significant effort to close this file.
In a related development, the Israeli military announced on Wednesday that the fourth body handed over by Hamas on Tuesday night did not belong to any of the hostages. "After completing examinations at the Institute of Forensic Medicine, it was found that the fourth body handed over by Hamas to Israel yesterday does not match any of the kidnapped Israelis," the military said in a statement, calling on the Palestinian movement to "make every effort" to return the bodies of all the deceased hostages.
On Monday, Hamas released the 20 remaining living Israeli prisoners it held. In return, Israel released 250 Palestinian prisoners serving life sentences, 1,718 detainees from Gaza since October 8, 2023, and the bodies of 90 Palestinians.
Earlier on Wednesday, the Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, announced its need for equipment to retrieve the remaining bodies of Israeli prisoners in Gaza. The move follows the handover of the remaining live prisoners and bodies held by Hamas as part of the Gaza ceasefire agreement that went into effect on October 10.
Hamas and Israel reached the current agreement in accordance with a plan by US President Donald Trump, whose country has supported Israel's war of extermination on Gaza since October 8, 2023.
The genocide left 67,938 dead and 170,169 wounded, most of them children and women. A famine claimed the lives of 463 Palestinians, including 157 children. The UN estimates the cost of reconstruction at approximately $70 billion.
