What to know about the 5 hostages whose remains are still in Gaza
**JERUSALEM** — Since the U.S.-brokered ceasefire in Gaza began on October 10, Palestinian militants have released the remains of 23 hostages held for the past two years. However, the process of returning the bodies of the five remaining hostages, as stipulated under the truce deal, is progressing slowly.
Hamas has stated that it has not been able to recover all of the remains because they are buried under rubble left by Israel’s two-year offensive in Gaza. In response, Israel has accused the militants of delaying the process and has threatened to resume military operations or withhold humanitarian aid if all remains are not returned promptly.
In the most recent exchange, Hamas returned the remains of an Israeli man who died while fighting Hamas during the militants’ October 7, 2023 attack that sparked the current war. He was identified as Lior Rudaeff, age 61, who was killed during the conflict. In return, Israel has released the bodies of 285 Palestinians back to Gaza. Israel has not disclosed details about the identities of these individuals, and it remains unclear if they were killed during the October 7 attacks within Israel, were Palestinian detainees who died in Israeli custody, or were bodies taken from Gaza by Israeli troops during the war.
Gaza health officials have struggled to identify the returned bodies due to a lack of access to DNA testing kits but have managed to identify 84 of them so far.
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### The Five Hostages Whose Remains Have Not Yet Been Returned
**Meny Godard, 73**
Meny Godard was a professional soccer player before enlisting in the Israeli military and serving in the 1973 Mideast War, according to Kibbutz Be’eri. Over the years, he held various roles at the kibbutz, including working at its printing press.
On the morning of October 7, militants set his home on fire, forcing Meny and his wife, Ayelet, to flee. Ayelet hid in the bushes for several hours before being discovered and killed by militants. Before she died, she was able to inform her children that Meny had been killed. The family later held a double funeral for the couple. They are survived by four children and six grandchildren.
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**Hadar Goldin, 23**
Hadar Goldin’s remains are the only ones that have been held in Gaza since before the current war. The Israeli soldier was killed on August 1, 2014, just two hours after a ceasefire took effect ending that year’s conflict between Israel and Hamas.
The military identified Goldin’s death based on evidence found in the tunnel where his body was taken, including a blood-soaked shirt and prayer fringes. He is survived by his parents and three siblings, including a twin. Goldin had proposed to his fiancée before he was killed. Earlier this year, his family marked 4,000 days since his body was taken. The military successfully retrieved the body of another soldier killed in the 2014 war earlier this year.
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**Ran Gvili, 24**
Ran Gvili served in an elite Israeli police unit. Though recovering from a broken shoulder sustained in a motorcycle accident, he rushed to assist fellow officers on October 7.
After helping people escape from the Nova music festival, he was killed while fighting at another location. His body was taken to Gaza, and the military confirmed his death four months later. He is survived by his parents and a sister.
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**Dror Or, 52**
Dror Or was a father of three who worked at the dairy farm on Kibbutz Be’eri for 15 years, eventually becoming the farm manager. Family and friends described him as an expert cheesemaker.
On October 7, militants set fire to Dror’s home while his family was hiding in a safe room. Both Dror and his wife, Yonat, were killed. Two of their children, Noam (17) and Alma (13), were abducted but released during the November 2023 ceasefire.
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**Sudthisak Rinthalak**
Sudthisak Rinthalak was an agricultural worker from Thailand employed at Kibbutz Be’eri. Media reports note that Rinthalak was divorced and had been working in Israel since 2017.
On October 7, 31 workers from Thailand were kidnapped—the largest group of foreigners held captive during the conflict. Most of these captives were released in the first and second ceasefires. The Thai Foreign Ministry has reported that, in addition to those held hostage, 46 Thai nationals have been killed during the war.
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The ongoing efforts to recover and return the remains of hostages continue to be a major point of contention amid the fragile ceasefire, underscoring the profound human cost of the conflict on all sides.
https://www.npr.org/2025/11/08/g-s1-97056/the-5-hostages-whose-remains-are-still-in-gaza
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