Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called members of the Islamist movement "Hamas" "monsters" after the remains of four Israeli hostages were handed over to Israel today, Agence France-Presse reported, quoted by BTA.
"Agony. Suffering. I have no words. Our hearts - the hearts of an entire nation - are devastated. On behalf of the State of Israel, I ask your forgiveness. Forgiveness for not protecting you on this terrible day. "I apologize for not bringing you home alive," Israeli President Yitzhak Herzog said.
Today, in the southern Gaza Strip, four black coffins were handed over by "Hamas" to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), which in turn handed them over to the Israeli army.
The convoy carrying the coffins arrived in the early afternoon at the Tel Aviv Institute of Forensic Medicine, where the bodies were to undergo autopsies in order to be identified.
According to "Hamas", the remains handed over included those of two children, aged four years and eight months. They were taken to Gaza during the unprecedented attack by "Hamas" against Israel on October 7, 2023.
The body of the mother of the two children was also returned to Israel today. The fourth body handed over was that of an 83-year-old man - one of the oldest hostages.
Before setting off for Tel Aviv, the convoy was met by Israelis waving national flags along the road.
"We are all mad with rage against the monsters of Hamas", Prime Minister Netanyahu said in a video message.
"We will return all our hostages, we will destroy the murderers, we will eliminate "Hamas" and together, with God's help, we will secure our future," he added.
German Foreign Minister Analene Berbock condemned the Palestinian Islamist movement "Hamas".
"Four coffins lined up on stage - images that are barely bearable. Until the very end, the families of the hostages were exposed to the boundless terror of "Hamas". My thoughts are with them. I hope they will soon be able to bury them with dignity," Berbock wrote on the social network "Ex".