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By Shane Croucher
Senior Editor
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The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said one of the bodies handed over by Hamas was not a hostage.
Newsweek has contacted the al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas's armed wing, for comment.
Returning all of the hostages to Israel, including the bodies of those who have died during their captivity, is a central condition of the ceasefire and the first phase of President Donald Trump's peace plan for Gaza.
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The incident, as well as post-ceasefire clashes between Israeli forces and Gazans and retributive executions by Hamas in the Gaza Strip, underscores the fragility of Trump's historic deal, which is still only in its initial phase.
"Following the completion of examinations at the National Institute of Forensic Medicine, the fourth body handed over to Israel by Hamas does not match any of the hostages," the IDF spokesperson said in a statement.
"Hamas is required to make all necessary efforts to return the deceased hostages."
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Hamas Hostage Exchange Remains Incomplete
The Islamist militant group returned the last 20 living hostages to Israel on Monday. Israel released more than 1,900 Palestinian prisoners under its obligations in the ceasefire agreement.
Hamas later handed over four bodies that it said were from the remaining 28 dead hostages in Gaza, angering the Israelis, who demanded that all the remains be immediately handed over.
But Hamas says it has found locating all of the hostages challenging in the rubble of Gaza following the war with Israel. The Israelis say Hamas is in violation of the ceasefire deal because of the delay.
It handed over four more bodies on Tuesday, though one of those the IDF has now said is not that of an Israeli hostage.
The ceasefire plan called for "all hostages, alive and deceased" to be returned to Israel within 72 hours of the agreement’s acceptance.
Trump Warns Hamas to Disarm, or Else
Once the hostages are all handed over to Israel, the peace plan moves to its second phase, which includes the disarmament of Hamas in Gaza. It is not yet clear if Hamas intends to give up its weapons.
Speaking at the White House on Tuesday afternoon, Trump warned Hamas to disarm.
"If they don't disarm, we will disarm them. And it will happen quickly and perhaps violently," he said during a meeting with Argentine President Javier Milei.
Updated, 10/15/2025, 7:52 a.m. ET: This article was updated with more information.
Updated, 10/15/2025, 5:50 a.m. ET: This article was updated with more information.
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