Four Gaza hostage bodies brought into Israel: army

The bodies of four hostages held in Gaza and handed over to the Red Cross by Hamas on Monday have been brought back to Israel, the military said.

The remains in four coffins were now being taken to the National Institute for Forensic Medicine, “where identification procedures will be carried out,” the military said in a statement.

The handover of the bodies was part of a ceasefire agreement brokered by US President Donald Trump between Israel and Hamas.

Earlier on Monday, Hamas freed all 20 surviving hostages it had been holding since October 7, 2023, as part of the agreement.

In return, Israel released 1,968 prisoners and detainees, mostly Palestinians, the prison service said.

Hamas still holds the remains of 24 deceased hostages, which it has agreed to return to Israel as part of the ceasefire deal.

“Hamas is required to uphold the agreement and take the necessary steps to return all the deceased hostages,” the military said.

During their unprecedented 2023 attack on Israel, which sparked the war in the Gaza Strip, Hamas-led militants abducted 251 people and took them to Gaza.

Most of them, including several who were later confirmed dead, were handed over during two previous truces over the past two years of war.

However, Hamas continued to hold 47 hostages until the latest ceasefire came into effect.

The remains of an Israeli soldier killed in a previous conflict in 2014 were also being held in Gaza.