Israel has identified the latest body returned from Gaza under the US-brokered truce that paused the two-year conflict with Hamas, leaving five more bodies yet to be recovered. The newly returned remains belong to Lior Rudaeff, a 61-year-old volunteer ambulance driver who was killed during Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attacks that sparked the Gaza war.

Details of the Latest Identification

Rudaeff, an Israeli-Argentinian and member of the Nir Yitzhak kibbutz, was one of five armed civilians who attempted to defend their community during the cross-border attack. His death was officially confirmed by Israeli authorities in May 2024.

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum, representing Israeli families affected by the crisis, expressed relief at Rudaeff’s return:

“Lior’s return provides some measure of comfort to a family that has lived with agonizing uncertainty and doubt for over two years. We will not rest until the last hostage is brought home.”

Remaining Hostages

Five bodies remain to be returned:

• Three Israelis and one Thai national seized in the October 7, 2023 attacks
• Israeli officer Hadar Goldin, who died during a prior Gaza conflict in 2014

Israeli reports indicate Hamas recovered Goldin’s remains from a tunnel in Rafah, a southern Gaza city partially under Israeli control. Israeli military chief Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir met with Goldin’s family, reaffirming the IDF’s commitment to recovering all remaining hostages.

Ceasefire and Reciprocal Body Returns

Under the October 2025 ceasefire deal:

• 20 surviving Israeli hostages were returned to Israel
• Israel released hundreds of Palestinian detainees
• For every dead Israeli hostage returned, 15 deceased Palestinians are repatriated

On Saturday, the Nasser Medical Centre in Khan Yunis announced the arrival of 15 Palestinian bodies, bringing the total returned to 300. Many Palestinian remains are unidentified and have been buried in mass graves due to the destruction caused by Israeli military operations.

Ahmed Dhair, head of the receiving committee at the medical center, noted:

“The 15 bodies received had gunshot wounds and signs of injuries caused by explosions.”

Human Toll of the Conflict

Hamas’s October 2023 assault resulted in 1,221 Israeli deaths, mostly civilians, while Israeli retaliatory strikes have killed 69,169 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s health ministry. Among Israeli forces, 479 soldiers have died since the start of the ground offensive at the end of October 2023.

The Israeli government has repeatedly called on Hamas to honor its commitments and expedite the return of the remaining hostages, emphasizing that every effort will be made to recover all deceased.