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Missing bodies of hostages top the list of uncertainties as fragile Gaza ceasefire holds
The Statesman Kolkata
|October 15, 2025
The tenuous ceasefire in the two-year Israel-Hamas war was holding Tuesday even as complex issues remained ahead, a day after widespread jubilation over the return to Israel of the last 20 living hostages held in Gaza and the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and detainees in exchange.
The list of more immediate questions includes those on when Hamas will return to Israel the bodies of the 24 hostages believed to be dead in Gaza, as well as the health conditions of the released hostages and freed Palestinians.
Only four of the deceased hostages ~ whose release is also part of the first phase of the ceasefire deal brokered by US President Donald Trump ~ were turned over to Israeli authorities on Monday. On Tuesday, the Israeli military identified two of them ~ Guy Illouz from Israel and Bipin Joshi, a student from Nepal.
This story is from the October 15, 2025 edition of The Statesman Kolkata.
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