JERUSALEM (AP) — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday that Israel had identified the latest remains returned from Gaza as hostage Dror Or, leaving the bodies of two hostages in Gaza as the first phase of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire agreement nears a conclusion.
The identification came as Turkish, Qatari and Egyptian officials met in Cairo to discuss the second phase of the tenuous ceasefire agreement, which began in October and has held
despite accusations by both sides of violations.
The next phases of the agreement include developing an international body to govern Gaza and oversee reconstruction under a two-year, renewable U.N. mandate.
An armed international stabilization force is to keep security and ensure the disarming of Hamas, a key demand of Israel. Indonesian officials have said they plan to deploy 20,000 peacekeepers to the force.
Major questions hang over nearly every part of the plan and the timeframe for implementation. In the meantime, nearly all Palestinians remain displaced and dependent on humanitarian aid, Hamas retains significant control over nearly half of Gaza and the rebuilding of the territory has barely begun.
Palestinian militants released Or’s remains Tuesday. Israel's military said Or and his wife, Yonat Or, were killed by militants who overran their community of Kibbutz Beeri on Oct. 7, 2023.
Before they were killed by the militants, the couple evacuated two of their children from their burning house through the window, said the Hostages Families Forum. The decision ultimately saved the children's lives — Alma and Noam were abducted by the militants and released in a hostage deal in November 2023.
The Forum remembered Or as a devoted father and talented cheesemaker who spent years working at the Be'eri dairy, eventually managing it. The group said Or was also a chef and yoga teacher.
In total, Palestinian militants killed some 1,200 people across southern Israel and abducted 251 to Gaza in their Oct. 7, 2023 attack that kickstarted the war in Gaza.
Gaza’s Health Ministry says 69,775 Palestinians have been killed and 170,863 injured in Israel’s offensive in Gaza. It does not distinguish between civilians and combatants in its figures, but has said women and children make up a majority of those killed. The ministry is staffed by medical professionals and maintains detailed records viewed as generally reliable by independent experts.
With the return of Or's remains, almost all of the hostages or their remains are out of Gaza. The remains of two — one Israeli and one Thai national— are still in the territory. Israel has agreed to release 15 Palestinian bodies for each hostage returned.
Turkey’s intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin met in Cairo on Tuesday with Qatar’s Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and Egypt’s intelligence chief Hasan Reshat to discuss advancing to the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement, a Turkish security official said.
The talks also centered on intensifying joint efforts with the United States to strengthen the truce, according to the official who requested anonymity in line with Turkish regulations.
The three also agreed to deepen cooperation with the Civil-Military Coordination Center (CMCC) to remove obstacles and prevent violations, ensuring the ceasefire is upheld without interruption, the official added.
Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim-majority nation with a long experience in U.N. peacekeeping missions, is among the countries the U.S. has discussed the ISF plan with, in addition to Azerbaijan, Egypt and Qatar.
“We are now in the selection phase for the peacekeeping force,” Gen. Agus Subianto, Chief of the Indonesian Armed Forces or TNI, told reporters Tuesday after a hearing with lawmakers in the capital, Jakarta. “Later, it’s planned that the mission will be led by a three-star general.”
He said the contingent will form a composite brigade consisting of health, engineering and mechanized support battalions. TNI is also preparing supporting assets for the mission in Gaza, including three hospital warships, the C-130 Hercules military transport aircraft and a helicopter.
Defense Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin added that the final deployment awaits an official order from President Prabowo Subianto but “troops are already undergoing mission-specific training.”
Prabowo has repeatedly declared that his country was ready to deploy 20,000 peacekeepers to Gaza at any time.
The U.N. reported that Indonesia had been the fifth-largest uniformed personnel contributor, deploying 2,731 individuals on peacekeeping operations as of September.
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AP writer Suzan Fraser contributed from Ankara, Turkey. AP writer Niniek Karmini contributed from Jakarta, Indonesia.
