Israeli authorities have confirmed the identification of Eliyahu Margalit’s remains, another hostage whose body was recently returned by Hamas. This somber announcement comes as the Palestinian militant group continues its difficult search for an additional 18 hostages believed to be buried under the extensive rubble across the Gaza Strip. Concurrently, calls are intensifying for a significant increase in humanitarian aid to reach the severely impacted enclave.
On Saturday, October 18, 2025, the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office released a statement confirming that Mr. Margalit’s body had been positively identified through forensic examination. His family has been informed of this tragic discovery. The 76-year-old was kidnapped on October 7, 2023, during Hamas’s attack on Israel, from the horse stables where he was employed in Kibbutz Nir Oz.
This identification marks the tenth hostage body to be returned since the ceasefire went into effect just over a week ago. While Hamas also delivered an eleventh body this week, it was not confirmed to be that of a hostage. The intensified efforts to locate these remains come after a stern warning from U.S. President Donald Trump, who indicated he would authorize Israel to resume military operations if Hamas failed to uphold its commitment to return all 28 hostage bodies.
The retrieval and handover of hostage remains, a crucial component of the ceasefire agreement, has been a significant point of contention. This issue, alongside the urgent need for increased aid deliveries, the full opening of border crossings into Gaza, and the prospects for reconstruction, is central to the internationally supported process aiming to bring an end to two years of devastating conflict in the region.
Hamas has reaffirmed its commitment to the ceasefire terms, which include returning the bodies. However, the group notes that recovering these remains is severely complicated by the extensive destruction and the widespread presence of dangerous, unexploded ordnance. Hamas has also informed mediators that some of the bodies are located in areas currently under Israeli military control.
Eliyahu Margalit’s body was discovered in Khan Younis after two bulldozers uncovered pits in the earth during search operations.
Simultaneously, Hamas has pressed mediators to advocate for a greater influx of aid into Gaza, a swift reopening of the Rafah border crossing with Egypt, and the initiation of reconstruction efforts for the devastated region.
Despite the ceasefire, the delivery of aid continues to be severely restricted due to ongoing closures of crossings and various limitations imposed on humanitarian organizations.
United Nations data released on Friday, October 17, indicated that only 339 aid trucks have been offloaded for distribution in Gaza since the ceasefire commenced a week prior. This figure falls significantly short of the agreed-upon provision for approximately 600 humanitarian aid trucks to enter daily.
According to the U.N., COGAT, the Israeli defense body responsible for overseeing aid into Gaza, reported that 950 trucks, encompassing both commercial and bilateral deliveries, crossed into the territory on Thursday, October 16, and 716 on Wednesday, October 15.
Gaza’s population of over 2 million desperately hopes that the ceasefire will finally provide respite from the severe humanitarian crisis exacerbated by Israel’s military offensive. Throughout the conflict, Israel had consistently restricted the entry of aid into Gaza, at times completely halting it.
Famine has been officially declared in Gaza City, with the United Nations verifying over 400 deaths attributed to malnutrition-related causes, tragically including more than 100 children.
Israel maintains that it has allowed sufficient food supplies into Gaza, counter-accusing Hamas of diverting a significant portion of these provisions. This claim is, however, denied by the U.N. and other prominent aid agencies.
The Health Ministry, affiliated with the Hamas-led government in the territory, reports that Israel’s military campaign in Gaza has resulted in the deaths of nearly 68,000 Palestinians. These figures are widely regarded as a credible estimate of wartime fatalities by numerous U.N. agencies and independent experts, though Israel has disputed them without offering an alternative count.
The Red Cross further indicates that thousands of additional individuals remain missing.