What to know concerning the 5 hostages whose stays are nonetheless in Gaza : NPR

[ad_1] <img src="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/8640x5760+0+0/resize/1100/quality/50/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F24%2Fd1%2F89f4fb2347ee8a16ffad5a606292%2Fap25302405859699.jpg" data-template="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/8640x5760+0+0/resize/{width}/quality/{quality}/format/{format}/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F24%2Fd1%2F89f4fb2347ee8a16ffad5a606292%2Fap25302405859699.jpg" class="img" alt="Hamas militants carry a white bag believed to contain a body, after retrieving it from a tunnel during a search for the remains of hostages in Hamad City, Khan Younis, in southern Gaza, Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025." fetchpriority="high"/> Hamas militants carry a white bag believed to comprise a physique, after retrieving it from a tunnel throughout a seek for the stays of hostages in Hamad Metropolis, Khan Younis, in southern Gaza, Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025. Jehad Alshrafi/AP disguise caption

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Jehad Alshrafi/AP JERUSALEM — Because the U.S.-brokered ceasefire in Gaza started on Oct. 10, Palestinian militants have launched the stays of 23 hostages held for the previous two years. However the strategy of returning the our bodies of the 5 remaining hostages, as referred to as for beneath the truce deal, is progressing slowly.

Hamas says it has not been in a position to attain the entire stays as a result of they're buried beneath rubble left by Israel's two-year offensive in Gaza. Israel has accused the militants of dragging their ft and threatened to renew navy operations or withhold humanitarian support if all stays usually are not returned.

In the newest launch, Hamas returned the stays of an Israeli man who died whereas combating Hamas within the militants' Oct. 7, 2023 assault that began the struggle. He was recognized as Lior Rudaeff, who was 61 when he was killed.

In return, Israel has launched the our bodies of 285 Palestinians again to Gaza. Israel has not supplied particulars on their identities, and it's unclear in the event that they had been folks killed in Israel throughout the Oct. 7 assault, Palestinian detainees who died in Israeli custody or our bodies taken from Gaza by Israeli troops throughout the struggle.

Well being officers in Gaza have struggled to establish the our bodies with out entry to DNA kits and have recognized 84 of the our bodies.

This is a take a look at the hostages whose stays haven't been returned.

Meny Godard, 73 Meny Godard was an expert soccer participant earlier than enlisting within the Israeli navy and serving within the 1973 Mideast Struggle, in response to Kibbutz Be'eri. He served in quite a lot of completely different positions within the kibbutz, together with at its printing press.

On the morning of Oct. 7, Godard and his spouse, Ayelet, had been pressured out of their house after it was set on hearth. She hid within the bushes for quite a few hours earlier than militants found her and killed her. She was in a position to inform her youngsters that Meny had been killed earlier than she died. The household held a double funeral for the couple. They're survived by 4 youngsters and 6 grandchildren.

Hadar Goldin, 23 Hadar Goldin's stays are the one ones which were held in Gaza since earlier than the struggle. The Israeli soldier was killed on Aug. 1, 2014, two hours after a ceasefire took impact ending the that yr's struggle between Israel and Hamas. Primarily based on proof discovered within the tunnel the place Goldin's physique was taken, together with a blood-soaked shirt and prayer fringes, the navy rapidly decided that he had been killed within the assault.

Goldin is survived by his dad and mom and three siblings, together with a twin. He had proposed to his fiancée earlier than he was killed. Earlier this yr, Goldin's household marked 4,000 days since his physique was taken. The navy retrieved the physique of one other soldier who was killed within the 2014 struggle earlier this yr.

Ran Gvili, 24 Ran Gvili, who served in an elite police unit, was recovering from a damaged shoulder he sustained in a motorbike accident however rushed to help fellow officers on Oct. 7. After serving to folks escape from the Nova music competition, he was killed combating at one other location and his physique was taken to Gaza. The navy confirmed his dying 4 months later. He's survived by his dad and mom and a sister.

Dror Or, 52 Dror Or was a father of three who labored on the dairy farm on Kibbutz Be'eri for 15 years, rising to the place of supervisor. He was an skilled cheesemaker, in response to household and mates. On Oct. 7, the household was hiding of their protected room when militants lit the home on hearth. Dror and his spouse, Yonat, had been killed. Two of their youngsters, Noam, 17, and Alma, 13, had been kidnapped and launched throughout the November 2023 ceasefire.

Sudthisak Rinthalak Sudthisak Rinthalak was an agricultural employee from Thailand who had been employed at Kibbutz Be'eri. In accordance with media studies, Rinthalak was divorced and had been working in Israel since 2017. A complete of 31 staff from Thailand had been kidnapped on Oct. 7, the most important group of foreigners to be held in captivity. Most of them had been launched within the first and second ceasefires. The Thai International Ministry has mentioned along with the hostages, 46 Thais have been killed throughout the struggle.