Over 350 bodies have been brought from Gaza to Israel since the start of the war to be checked to see if they were the remains of Israeli hostages, KAN Reshet Bet radio reported on Friday.
The bodies were brought to Israel's National Center of Forensic Medicine in Abu Kabir. The IDF had announced earlier in the war that it had taken bodies out of Gaza in an attempt to find the bodies of hostages.
Bodies that were found to not be those of hostages were returned to Gaza.
In early January, footage from Gaza showed the IDF exhuming bodies from a cemetery in southern Gaza, with the IDF telling NBC News that the "IDF conducts precise hostage rescue operations in the specific locations where information indicates that the bodies of hostages may be located."
“The hostage identification process, conducted at a secure and alternative location, ensures optimal professional conditions and respect for the deceased. Bodies determined not to be those of hostages are returned with dignity and respect,” added the IDF.
It is unclear if any hostages were found among the exhumed bodies.
At least 30 of the remaining hostages have been killed
Earlier this week, The New York Times reported that at least 30 of the remaining 136 hostages captured by Hamas on October 7 have been killed, with Israeli intelligence assessing unconfirmed information that at least 20 other hostages may have been killed as well.
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum stated after the report was published that the official number provided to them is that 31 of the 136 hostages have been confirmed as killed.
Over 240 hostages were kidnapped by Hamas during the October 7 massacre. In November, a little over 100 hostages were released as part of a ceasefire agreement, including 81 Israelis.