Israel prepares for return of 8 slain hostages: Here's how it will unfold

Eight Israeli hostages, who fell either on October 7th or during captivity and who are still held by Hamas, will be returned in two phases, with the first four set to arrive this Thursday, followed by four more next week. Teams of forensic experts are standing by to conduct complex identification procedures using fingerprints, dental records, and DNA analysis, according to Israeli officials.

The transfer details, revealed in a previously confidential appendix to the agreement, specify that Israel will receive the first group of slain hostages on Day 33 of the deal. In exchange, Israel will release Palestinian women and children detained since October 8, with releases split between the two phases.

Hamas is expected to provide the names of the deceased on Thursday morning, though Israeli officials are pushing for earlier notification. IDF ambulances will be positioned at an agreed-upon transfer point to transport the remains to the Abu Kabir Forensic Institute for identification.

Lieutenant Colonel Aliza Raziel, who heads the Criminal Identification Division (CID) of the Israeli Police, outlined the identification process in an interview with N12. "Our teams have been working continuously since the war began," she said. "We gathered biometric data - dental records, fingerprints, and DNA samples - from all hostages at the start of the war to ensure quick identification when the time came."

The forensics team has prioritized dental matching as the fastest identification method. "We have volunteer dentists ready to perform dental structure analysis," Raziel explained. "Fingerprint identification is also possible if tissue conditions permit. When these methods aren't viable, we'll rely on DNA testing, though this takes longer."

A major concern is the condition of the remains after more than a year in captivity. "We don't know what preservation conditions the bodies were kept in," Raziel noted. "Better-preserved remains will allow for faster identification. Dental structures typically remain intact and provide reliable data, but if we must resort to DNA testing alone, the process could take longer."

Israel's forensic identification system ranks among the world's most sophisticated. Raziel emphasized the close coordination between the IDF, Institute of Forensic Medicine, and Ministry of Health. "Every necessary resource is in place," she stated. "Our work is purely scientific, separate from any intelligence considerations. We focus solely on identification, which we conduct with precision and speed."

As preparations continue, the emotional weight of the task is evident. "The entire system, along with all of Israel, anxiously awaits the arrival of the remains," Raziel said. "We're committed to providing answers to families as quickly as possible, helping them find closure."

Channel 12 contributed to this article.