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Hamas’s military wing is set to release the bodies of two more slain Israeli hostages Tuesday — as Vice President JD Vance warned it will take time to retrieve the remains of all of the fallen captives from Gaza.
There are still 15 hostages’ bodies in Gaza, including those of two Israeli-Americans: New York native Itay Chen, 19, and Omer Neutra, 21, of Long Island.
The Palestinian terror group has been slowly releasing a couple of victims’ bodies a day as it sifts through the rubble of the Gaza Strip.
Hamas did not say whose bodies will be released Tuesday, but their handoff to the Red Cross is expected to take place in the early afternoon, with the Israel Defense Force preparing to receive the remains, the Times of Israel reported.
The body of Sgt. Maj. Tal Haimi was the lone one released Monday, with Israeli forensic examiners positively identifying the 41-year-old, who died protecting his kibbutz during the Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attack.
While the Israeli military has accused Hamas of being deliberately slow in releasing the bodies — a key part of the fragile peace deal between both sides — the Trump administration has said the terror group is working with US-provided intelligence to locate the slain hostages.
Vance assured Israelis during his trip to Israel on Tuesday that the US is committed to helping get the bodies back to their families for proper burials to begin.
But the veep echoed Trump’s warning that the destruction in Gaza complicates Hamas’ ability to quickly retrieve the bodies.
“This is difficult, this is not going to happen overnight,” Vance told Israeli lawmakers as he tried to quell the outrage over the slow release.
“This is going to take a little bit of time,” he said, stressing the need to stick to the peace deal after violent clashes in recent days between Israel and Hamas.
Despite the momentary fights in Gaza, Vance described the cease-fire as going “better than I expected,” as he relayed that the US will continue working with Israel to oversee a peaceful transition in the war-torn Palestinian enclave.
