UPDATE - Hamas transfers remains of 2 more Israeli hostages, Israel says

UPDATES WITH MORE DETAILS

By Rania Abu Shamala

ISTANBUL (AA) – Hamas handed over the remains of two Israeli hostages to the Red Cross on Thursday evening under a ceasefire agreement, the Israeli army confirmed.

A military statement said that the coffins were transferred by the Red Cross and the bodies were taken to the Institute of Forensic Medicine in Tel Aviv for forensic tests.

The handover came two days after Israel killed more than 100 Palestinians in deadly airstrikes across the Gaza Strip despite the ceasefire.

Since the Gaza ceasefire agreement began on Oct. 10, Hamas has released 20 Israeli captives alive and handed over the remains of 19 out of 28, most of them Israelis. However, Israel claimed that one of the received bodies did not match any of its listed captives.

Israel has killed 211 Palestinians and injured 597 others since the ceasefire, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.

Israel has tied the start of negotiations for the second phase of the ceasefire to the handover of all the hostage remains. Hamas says the process requires time due to the massive destruction in Gaza.

Phase one of the deal includes the release of Israeli hostages in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners. The plan also envisages the rebuilding of Gaza and the establishment of a new governing mechanism without Hamas.

Israel has killed more than 68,500 people, mostly women and children, and injured over 170,600 others in attacks in Gaza since October 2023.