Jerusalem: Israel received the remains of another hostage through the Red Cross in the Gaza Strip, the Israeli prime minister’s office said in a statement. The remains were handed over to the military and Shin Bet security forces inside the Strip on Thursday night. From there, the body will be transferred to Israel, where it will be identified, the office said.
The handover was part of a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, Xinhua news agency reported. Earlier on Thursday, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad and Hamas said in statements they would hand over the body, which was found earlier in the day in Morag area, north of Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip.
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The groups did not specify the identity of the deceased hostage. Before the latest transfer, Hamas had returned the remains of 24 hostages to Israel under the current ceasefire. If the identity of the latest deceased hostage is confirmed, Hamas has three more bodies in Gaza required to return to Israel.
The ceasefire, which took effect on Oct. 10, has sharply reduced Israeli attacks in Gaza but not halted them. At least 260 Palestinians have been killed and 632 wounded by Israeli fire since October 11, according to Gaza’s health authorities, bringing the overall death toll from Israeli strikes since October 2023 to at least 69,187.