Officials ready for return of hostages’ bodies, but fear claims that some were ‘not found’

Israel’s Ministry of Religious Services officials said the transfer of bodies from Gaza could be incomplete, leaving some families without closure.

Israel’s Ministry of Religious Services has finalized procedures to receive and identify the bodies of Israelis expected to be returned by Hamas, but officials worry the transfer could be incomplete, leaving some families without closure, Director-General Yehuda Avidan said in a radio interview.

“We are preparing to receive between one and 28 [bodies],” Avidan said, adding that authorities still do not know the final number. Readiness remains “as we were throughout the war,” he said, with maximum sensitivity for the bereaved. His comments were made on Kan Reshet Bet with hosts Prof. Yuval Elbashan and Moriah Kor.

Avidan warned of a worst-case scenario in which Hamas asserts that some remains are missing. “My biggest fear is that we will be told ‘not found,’ and families will be left without closure,” he said. He later added a simple wish: “May we hear only good news. May we not have to deal with such things.”

Because of past incidents, each transfer will begin with strict safety screening. “We do not trust them with anything,” Avidan said, noting that grenades and other explosives had previously been found on bodies. Only after security checks and an initial identification conducted by the International Committee of the Red Cross across the border will remains be moved to Israel’s National Center of Forensic Medicine in Tel Aviv, known as Abu Kabir, for full forensic work.

“There begins the entire complex identification process,” Avidan said, describing how forensic specialists match remains with intelligence files compiled for each of the fallen. He said most of the 28 had already been formally declared dead by a special state committee convened for the first time and led by Chief Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef. “There is no chance of a mistake,” he said, emphasizing that decisions were based on solid evidence, including to allow widows to remarry under Jewish law.

Preparations ready for funerals of slain hostages

The ministry is preparing to hold funerals for families that already observed mourning or held symbolic burials after the earlier declarations of death. “We give them the arrangements, and in every family, we do the funeral again,” Avidan said, describing a tailored approach meant to ensure “the family receives what it deserves” in accompanying their loved ones to burial.

Coordination is being carried out with the IDF, Israel Police, and other agencies, Avidan said. Ministry teams are staying in constant contact with next of kin and accommodating specific requests regarding burial and farewell rites wherever possible. He said the posture is one of high alert, with procedures refined to balance security, forensics, and religious law.

Avidan reiterated that the ministry’s focus is twofold: protecting dignity for the dead and providing close support for families. “We are ready for one, and we are ready for 28,” he said. “We are doing everything so that the families can say goodbye in the most respectful way.”