Israel says Hamas returned body of Israeli-US soldier held hostage

Israel has confirmed the latest body of a hostage returned by Hamas via the Red Cross is that of Israeli-American soldier Itay Chen.

The 19-year-old's remains were handed over on Tuesday as part of a Gaza ceasefire deal brokered by US President Donald Trump last month.

"Following the completion of the identification process... [Israel Defense Forces] representatives informed the family of the fallen hostage, Staff Sergeant Itay Chen, that their loved one has been returned to Israel and positively identified," the Israeli prime minister's office said.

Earlier, Hamas's military wing said it had recovered the body of an Israeli soldier in the eastern Shejaiya neighbourhood of Gaza City.

Israel had allowed members of the Palestinian armed group and Red Cross staff to search for the remains in the area, which is inside territory still controlled by Israeli forces.

Staff Sgt Chen was serving as a soldier in the IDF's 7th Brigade when Hamas-led gunmen attacked southern Israel on 7 October 2023.

The IDF said he was killed inside a tank during a battle in Kibbutz Nir Oz and that his body was taken to Gaza as a hostage by Hamas.

"The remains of Itay Chen, a young American taken hostage by Hamas at just 19 years old, have finally returned home. We honour his life, mourn his loss, and stand with his family," US Secretary of State Marco Rubio wrote on X.

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum in Israel welcomed his return but also stressed that there were seven deceased hostages still in Gaza.

"Please don't stop until they are all back home. Until the last hostage," it said.

The Israeli government has accused Hamas of deliberately delaying the recovery of the dead hostages since the ceasefire deal took effect on 10 October.

Hamas has insisted it is difficult to locate the bodies under rubble.

The slow progress has meant there has been no advance on the second phase of President Trump's Gaza peace plan, including plans for the governance of Gaza, the withdrawal of Israeli troops, the disarmament of Hamas, and reconstruction.

The US has now reportedly drafted a UN Security Council resolution that would give a two-year mandate for a transitional governance body in Gaza, known as the Board of Peace, and an International Stabilisation Force (ISF).

The text says the ISF would be tasked with working with Israel and Egypt to secure border areas, "ensuring the process of demilitarising the Gaza Strip", protecting civilians, and training a new Palestinian police force.

It also says the ISF would be authorised to "use all necessary measures to carry out its mandate".

It is understood the draft has not yet been formally sent to other Security Council members for negotiations.

Under the ceasefire deal, Hamas agreed to return the 20 living and 28 dead hostages it was still holding within 72 hours.

All the living Israeli hostages were released on 13 October in exchange for 250 Palestinian prisoners and 1,718 detainees from Gaza.

Israel has handed over the bodies of 270 Palestinians in exchange for the bodies of the 18 Israeli hostages returned by Hamas before Tuesday, along with those of two foreign hostages - one of them Thai and the other Nepalese. The bodies of another 15 Palestinians are expected to be returned to Gaza in exchange for Sgt Chen.

Five of the seven dead hostages still in Gaza are Israelis, one is Tanzanian, and one is Thai.

All but one of the dead hostages still in Gaza were among the 251 people abducted during the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, during which about 1,200 other people were killed.

Israel responded by launching a military campaign in Gaza, during which more than 68,800 people have been killed, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry.

On Tuesday, a hospital official in Gaza City said a man was killed by Israeli fire in the Jabalia area of northern Gaza.

The Israeli military said its troops killed a "terrorist" who had crossed the "Yellow Line", which demarcates Israeli-controlled territory, and posed a threat to them.