Gaza militants hand over remains of Israeli hostage under ceasefire

Return of body found by Palestinian Islamic Jihad group leaves two hostages remaining

The armed wing of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad group said late on Monday that it had found a hostage body during search and excavation operations in areas controlled by the Israeli army in central Gaza. AFPShow less

Palestinian militants in Gaza handed over human remains to the Red Cross on Tuesday, to be delivered to Israel as part of the ceasefire agreement.

If confirmed through tests to be one of the deceased Israeli hostages, Tuesday's handover would leave only two captives' bodies remaining in the enclave.

“According to information provided by the Red Cross, a coffin of a deceased hostage has been transferred into its custody and is on the way to [Israeli] troops in the Gaza Strip,” the Israeli military said.

The armed wing of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad group said late on Monday that it had found a hostage body during search and excavation operations in areas controlled by the Israeli army in central Gaza.

Shortly before the handover, Israel said a delay in returning the body was a breach of the fragile ceasefire.

“In light of the Islamic Jihad's announcement regarding the location of findings related to a deceased hostage, Israel views with severity the delay in their immediate transfer,” the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.

“This constitutes a further violation of the agreement. Israel demands the immediate return of the three deceased hostages still being held in the Gaza Strip.”

At the start of the US-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, which came into effect on October 10, militants were holding 20 hostages and the bodies of 28 deceased captives.

Hamas has since released all the living hostages and returned the remains of 25, in line with the truce's terms.

In exchange, Israel has released nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners in its custody and returned the bodies of hundreds of Palestinians.

Both sides have, since the deal, accused each other of deadly breaches of existing commitments in the agreement, and of pushing back against further steps required by US President Donald Trump's 20-point peace plan for Gaza.

The Gaza Health Ministry said on Monday that at least 342 Palestinians had been killed by Israeli fire since the start of the truce on October 10. Israel says three of its soldiers have been killed by militant gunfire in the same period.

Last week, the UN Security Council gave formal backing to Mr Trump's plan, which calls for an interim technocratic Palestinian government in Gaza, overseen by an international “board of peace” and backed by an international security force.

Mr Trump's plan also requires a reform of the Palestinian Authority, which is based in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

The war was sparked by the October 7, 2023, assault by Hamas and other Palestinian factions, in which they killed about 1,200 people in Israel and took about 250 hostage.

Israel's subsequent ground and air campaign in Gaza has devastated large parts of the enclave and killed more than 69,700 people, according to local health authorities.