How the transfer of slain hostages is expected to look: Israel to ID bodies at Gaza border

The Health Ministry says it is preparing to help identify the remains of four slain hostages — set to be returned by Hamas tonight — at the Kerem Shalom crossing on the Gaza border, rather than at the National Institute of Forensic Medicine (Abu Kabir) in Jaffa.

Once identified, the bodies will be transported to Abu Kabir for post-mortems to identify causes of death, it says.

According to the Walla news site, a team from Abu Kabir has been dispatched to the Kerem Shalom crossing for the task. Depending on the state of the remains, a field identification could prove impossible, necessitating their transfer to the facility for further examination, which could add hours or days to the process, Walla reports.

An Israeli source quoted in some Hebrew-language media outlets says the bodies will need to be positively identified before the prisoner release is completed. Other reports said the release may be staggered, with the “last prisoner” only going free after the identification of the hostages.

The measure reflects a lack of trust in Israel after Hamas handed over the body of a Gazan woman rather than that of Shiri Bibas last week. The terror group claimed the switch was the result of an error and sent the slain mother’s body to Israel a day later.

Egypt, which has been mediating to help resolve the impasse, will facilitate the delicate transfer. Officials have said the bodies will go from Gaza to Egypt and then to Israel, though other reports have said the bodies will be handed by the Red Cross to Egyptian forces in Gaza and then to IDF forces.