Al-Qassam recover bodies of two Israeli captives
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Al-Qassam Brigades recover bodies of Israeli captives Amiram Cooper and Sahar Baruch in Gaza, warning that continued aggression delays recovery efforts.
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A Red Cross vehicle arrives at the site where Hamas operatives work on searching for bodies of the Israeli captives in an area in Hamad City, Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, October 17, 2025. (AP)
The al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Palestinian Resistance movement Hamas, announced the recovery of the bodies of two Israeli captives, Amiram Cooper and Saher Baruch, during field search operations carried out on Tuesday in the Gaza Strip.
The brigades stated that their fighters located the bodies during tunnel operations in southern Gaza. The bodies were prepared for transfer to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Gaza City.
Images circulated online showed Qassam fighters handing over the remains to Red Cross representatives.
Occupation escalations delay handover
In an earlier statement issued Tuesday evening, al-Qassam said that they had planned to hand over the body of one of the captives that evening. However, due to violations by the Israeli occupation, the transfer was postponed.
The brigades emphasized that ongoing Israeli military escalations and violations in Gaza are severely hindering search, excavation, and recovery efforts.
"Any Israeli escalation will delay the recovery of more bodies," the statement warned, stressing that the occupation's actions are obstructing progress in locating and identifying the remains of its deceased.
The statement marks the latest in a series of updates regarding the fate of Israeli captives held in Gaza since the beginning of the war.
'Israel' responsible for hindering captive body recovery: Exclusive
Tuesday evening’s Israeli strikes on Gaza reflect "Israel’s" desire to prolong the war on the Strip, Palestinian Resistance affairs analyst Hani al-Dali told Al Mayadeen.
Al-Dali explained that the continuation of the war serves Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who "seeks to continue his policy of blackmail and to prove that the occupation still maintains security and military control over the Gaza Strip."
He outlined several obstacles preventing the recovery of Israeli captives’ bodies in the Gaza Strip, noting that the first is that four bodies have "completely evaporated". The second obstacle he mentioned is that some bodies are located within the “yellow line”, the area to which Israeli forces withdrew under the agreement, and "this requires approval from the occupation."
The third challenge, al-Dali explained to Al Mayadeen, involves bodies of captives buried deep inside tunnels, which are difficult to retrieve without heavy machinery.
