By Vered Weiss, World Israel News US special envoy Steve Witkoff met with families, acknowledging that recovering the remains of all the deceased hostages could be extremely difficult. Vice President JD Vance said Sunday that not all of the hostages murdered by Hamas may be recovered, warning that the effort to locate and return their remains could take time.“The reality is that some of the hostages may never get back,” Vance said in an interview on Sunday Morning Futures.“But I do think, with some effort, we’ll be able to give them to their families so they at least have some closure.”He added that while rescuing the living remains the Trump administration’s priority, returning the bodies of those killed is also a vital part of “giving families the ability to have a proper burial with their loved ones who were murdered by brutal terrorists.”His comments came as Israel and Hamas prepared to implement the first phase of a ceasefire agreement that formally ended the two-year war in Gaza.The deal requires Hamas to release all remaining hostages — 20 believed to be alive and 48 confirmed dead — within 72 hours of the Israel Defense Forces’ withdrawal from Gaza, completed Friday at noon.In return, Israel will free about 2,000 Palestinian prisoners.Gal Hirsch, Israel’s coordinator for hostage affairs, told families in a Friday message that “the process of releasing your loved ones — our loved ones — will begin on Monday morning.”He said living hostages would be transferred first, followed by the remains of those killed, which would be received “in a painful and respectful ceremony” before being taken to Israel’s Institute of Forensic Medicine for identification.Top Hamas representative Osama Hamdan confirmed the timeline to AFP, stating that “the prisoner exchange is set to begin on Monday morning as agreed.”However, Israeli officials cautioned that not all timing details were settled, citing Hamas’s logistical challenges and coordination with the International Committee of the Red Cross.US special envoy Steve Witkoff met with families Saturday, acknowledging that recovering every body could be extremely difficult.Relatives pleaded with Israeli authorities to “do everything possible” to bring everyone home.Israeli officials have privately acknowledged that between seven and fifteen bodies may never be found.Despite that grim reality, the Trump-brokered peace agreement sparked scenes of jubilation in Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square, where tens of thousands gathered to celebrate what many called the beginning of Israel’s long-awaited closure.The post VP Vance tells Fox some deceased hostages ‘may never get back’ appeared first on World Israel News.