Two Hostages Remain Unaccounted for in Gaza After Ceasefire Deal

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A delicate standoff continues in Gaza, as the US-brokered ceasefire agreement of October 10 remains unresolved for two remaining hostages. Despite releasing the remains of 26 hostages, Palestinian militants are struggling to locate the last two, whose bodies are allegedly buried under rubble from Israel's two-year offensive. According to Hamas, the militants are facing difficulties in retrieving the remains due to the extensive damage caused by the conflict. Israel, however, accuses the militants of stalling and has threatened to resume military operations or withhold humanitarian aid if the remains are not returned. A recent release saw the return of Dror Or's remains, who was killed in an attack on Kibbutz Be'eri in southern Israel. His wife, Yonat, was also killed, and their two children, Noam and Alma, were abducted but later returned to Israel in a November 2023 hostage deal. In exchange, Israel has released the bodies of 330 Palestinians to Gaza. However, the Health Ministry in Gaza has faced challenges in identifying the remains due to a lack of access to DNA kits. Only 97 bodies have been identified, according to the ministry. Israel has not provided information on the identities of the remaining hostages, leaving uncertainty about whether they were killed in the October 7 attack, died in Israeli custody, or were taken from Gaza by Israeli troops during the war. The two unaccounted-for hostages are Ran Gvili, a 24-year-old police officer who was killed fighting in Gaza, and Sudthisak Rinthalak, a Thai agricultural worker who was employed at Kibbutz Be'eri. Both families are awaiting news about the retrieval of their loved ones' remains.