The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed on Wednesday that forensic examinations concluded that the remains handed over by Hamas on Tuesday do not belong to either of the last two captives in the Gaza Strip.

In a statement, Netanyahu's office said, "The samples brought yesterday for examination from the Gaza Strip have no connection to either of the two deceased hostages," adding that the identification was conducted by the "National Center for Forensic Medicine."

In a related development, the al-Quds Brigades stated they are continuing to search for the body of one of the Israeli captives in the northern Gaza Strip, in coordination with a team from the Red Cross.

Hamas had earlier handed over remains, which the Red Cross believed belonged to one of the two final captives, and the occupation forces then transferred the remains for forensic examination to verify the identity.

It is worth noting that the two deceased captives are Israeli police officer Ran Gafili and Thai settler Sudthisak Rinthlak, both of whom were captured during the events of October 7, 2023. Their status has been the focus of recent negotiations and recovery efforts.

'Israel' returns 15 Palestinian martyrs' bodies under exchange deal

Last month, Nasser Medical Hospital in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, reported on November 14 that it had received the bodies of 15 Palestinian martyrs from the Israeli occupation, as part of the 13th batch of a body exchange agreement implemented under the ongoing ceasefire.

“Fifteen bodies of Palestinian martyrs have been received at Nasser Medical Complex as part of the 13th batch of the body exchange deal, bringing the total number of martyrs whose bodies have been received to 330 since the agreement’s implementation began,” the hospital said in its statement.

Despite the terms of the ceasefire agreement that took effect on October 11, the Israeli occupation continues to withhold dozens of Palestinian martyrs' bodies. Most of the bodies returned thus far have shown clear signs of torture, mutilation, and possible organ theft, sparking renewed outrage over the Israeli violations of international law.

On that note, most of the bodies of Palestinian martyrs returned from "Israel" last month were found blindfolded, with their hands and feet bound, Gaza’s forensic department spokesperson revealed. These, he said, are compelling evidence that the Palestinian detainees were brutally tortured before being executed. He urged all international organizations to urgently enter the Gaza Strip to document these violations by Israeli occupation forces and ensure accountability for crimes committed against Palestinians.