The widow of an Israeli man killed in the October 7 attack, whose body has been held in Gaza ever since, said her government needs to do more to retrieve the remains of 19 dead hostages yet to be returned.
“Honestly, I thought it would be faster… I know that they have the locations,” Ela Haimi told CNN’s Lynda Kinkade.
Her husband Tal Haimi was killed in the Hamas-led attack two years ago. His cousin Udi Goren told CNN that he had been patrolling his kibbutz that day, hoping to keep his family at home safe, when Hamas attacked.
“It’s a very tense day for me, for the kids and every morning we are wondering. Maybe it’s today. Maybe Tal’s body returned last night. But we are waking up disappointed again and waiting for the next day,” Haimi said.
Ela Haimi was pregnant when her husband was abducted and is now raising their four children. She said they anxiously await news of hostages being returned and identified every day.
But yesterday, Hamas said it had handed over all hostage remains it can access, saying “significant efforts and special equipment” are needed to recover the remaining dead captives in Gaza.
Israel has previously assessed that Hamas may not be able to find and return all the remaining dead hostages in Gaza.
Last week, an Israeli official said a joint task force, including the US, Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey, was being set up to try to find the missing remains.
The US has asked Israel for intelligence that can be passed on to Hamas, a senior US adviser told CNN.
“I hope that I know that the (Israeli military) gives them the location and they can go and look for it. But we don’t feel the passion like they had with the 20 (living hostages),” Haimi said.
