Ask Onix
Israel confirms return of hostage Meny Godard's body from Gaza
Israel identified the body of 73-year-old Meny Godard on Thursday, returned by Hamas after he was killed during the 7 October 2023 attacks on kibbutz Be'eri, officials confirmed. His wife, Ayelet, also died in the same assault.
Recovery and forensic confirmation
Red Cross vehicles retrieved Godard's remains from the Khan Younis area in southern Gaza, hours after Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad issued a joint statement announcing the discovery. The Israeli prime minister's office later verified the identity through forensic testing.
Ceasefire exchange progress
Under the first phase of the US-brokered ceasefire, Hamas has now returned all 20 living Israeli hostages and 25 of 28 deceased hostages. The 20 survivors were released on 13 October in exchange for 250 Palestinian prisoners and 1,718 Gaza detainees.
For each deceased Israeli hostage returned, Israel agreed to transfer the remains of 15 Palestinians, though Gaza's lack of DNA testing complicates identification efforts.
Ongoing hostage situation
Hamas initially seized 251 hostages during the 7 October 2023 attack, which killed 1,200 people in southern Israel. Three bodies-two Israeli and one Thai-remain unrecovered in Gaza. Hamas attributes delays to the difficulty of locating remains under rubble, while Israel accuses the group of intentional obstruction.
Stalled peace plan
The impasse has halted progress on the second phase of US President Donald Trump's Gaza peace proposal, which includes governance plans, Israeli troop withdrawal, Hamas disarmament, and reconstruction of the Gaza Strip.
Casualty toll
Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry, whose figures the UN deems reliable, reports over 69,000 Palestinian deaths in Israel's retaliatory offensive since October 2023.
