Israel says remains of three people handed over by Hamas do not match any deceased hostages

Israel said the remains of three people returned by Hamas on Friday did not match any of the deceased hostages. 

Following forensic testing, Israeli officials said it was concluded that the remains do not belong to the 11 deceased hostages still being held in Gaza, Fox News has learned.

"The remains we received are not our hostages," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office told The Associated Press following the examination of the remains. However, neither Netanyahu's office nor any other Israeli authorities confirmed the identities of the remains to the AP. It is still unclear who these people were and why they were given to Israel.

Since the U.S.-brokered ceasefire, which began earlier this month, Hamas has returned the remains of 17 hostages. With those already handed over, there have been instances in which Israel has claimed that Hamas returned remains that did not match the remaining deceased hostages. Hamas previously returned additional remains belonging to Ofir Tzarfati, whose body was first recovered in 2023.

HAMAS HANDS OVER REMAINS OF HOSTAGE WHOSE BODY WAS RECOVERED NEARLY 2 YEARS AGO

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) made clear its role in the transfer of hostages' remains. In a statement, the ICRC said that it "does not take part in locating the remains."

"In accordance with international humanitarian law, it is the responsibility of the parties to search for, collect, and return the dead," the ICRC said.

RED CROSS RECEIVES TWO COFFINS OF DECEASED HOSTAGES IN GAZA STRIP, IDF SAYS

On Thursday, Israel received the remains of Amiram Cooper and Sahar Baruch, leaving 11 deceased hostages in the Gaza Strip, including U.S. citizens Itay Chen and Omer Neutra.

Israeli intelligence suggests Cooper was alive when he was taken from his home in Kibbutz Nir Oz during the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said that it estimates Cooper was killed in February 2024. He was 84 years old. Cooper leaves behind a wife, four children and 11 grandchildren.

Baruch was taken from his home in Kibbutz Be'eri during the massacre. The IDF said that it estimates he was murdered on Dec. 8, 2023, at the age of 25. Baruch leaves behind his parents and two siblings.

In addition to Neutra and Chen, the remaining deceased hostages include Meny Godard, Hadar Goldin, Ran Gvili, Asaf Hamami, Joshua Loitu Mollel, Dror Or, Oz Daniel, Lior Rudaeff and Sudthisak Rinthalak.

Fox News' Yonat Friling and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Bipartisan senators call on Hegseth to release strike orders on alleged drug boats in Caribbean

A bipartisan pair of senators are calling on Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth to hand over copies of the orders issued to strike boats in the Caribbean allegedly carrying narco-terrorists.

Sens. Jack Reed, D-R.I., and Roger Wicker, R-Miss., released two letters they sent to Hegseth in recent weeks in response to the repeated strikes on suspected drug boats.

The first letter, which was issued on Sept. 23, explained the legal requirements for congressional oversight over the military's executed orders, including that congressional defense committees must be provided copies of the orders within 15 days of being issued.

"Unfortunately, the Department has not complied with this requirement," the letter reads.

HEGSETH SAYS MILITARY CONDUCTED ANOTHER STRIKE ON BOAT CARRYING ALLEGED NARCO-TERRORISTS

The second letter, issued on Oct. 6, seeks a written opinion from the Department of Justice’s Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) on the domestic or international legal basis for conducting the strikes and related operations.

Reports indicate that the OLC produced a legal opinion justifying the strikes, which numerous lawmakers have been demanding in recent weeks.

The senators' letter also asked for a complete list "of all designated terrorist organizations and drug trafficking organizations with whom the President has determined the United States is in a non-international armed conflict and against whom lethal military force may be used."

"To date, these documents have not been submitted," Reed’s office said in a news release on Friday.

Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have urged the Trump administration to release information related to the strikes.

Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, criticized the administration on Thursday after it excluded Democrats from briefings on the strikes, a move he called "indefensible and dangerous."

SEN WARNER BLASTS TRUMP ADMIN FOR EXCLUDING DEMOCRATS FROM BRIEFINGS ON BOAT STRIKES: 'DEEPLY TROUBLING'

On Wednesday, Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee also penned a letter demanding to review the legal justification behind the series of boat strikes they say appear to violate several laws.

"Drug trafficking is a terrible crime that has had devastating impacts on American families and communities and should be prosecuted. Nonetheless, the President’s actions to hold alleged drug traffickers accountable must still conform with the law," the letter states.

The strikes have also garnered scrutiny from Republicans, including Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., who raised concerns about killing people without due process and the possibility of killing innocent people.

Paul has cited Coast Guard statistics that show a significant percentage of boats boarded for suspicion of drug trafficking are innocent.

The senator has also argued that if the administration plans to engage in a war with Venezuela after it has targeted boats it claims are transporting drugs for the Venezuela-linked Tren de Aragua gang, it must seek a declaration of war from Congress.

In the House, Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., has made similar statements.

A report published on Friday suggested the U.S. military was planning to strike military installations in Venezuela, but President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that the report was inaccurate.

This comes as Hegseth announced the U.S. military on Wednesday struck another boat carrying alleged narco-terrorists. The strikes were carried out in the Eastern Pacific region at the direction of Trump, killing four men on board.

That was the 14th strike on suspected drug boats since September. A total of 61 people have reportedly been killed while three survived, including at least two who were later repatriated to their home countries.

The Pentagon has refused to release the identities of those killed or evidence that drugs were on board.

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