The bodies of two deceased Israeli hostages held in Gaza were handed over to the Red Cross by Hamas on Monday, the Israeli military said, adding that the remains of two additional captives are also expected to be transferred.
"According to information provided by the Red Cross, two coffins of deceased hostages have been transferred to their custody and are on their way to [Israeli military] and ISA (security agency) forces in the Gaza Strip," the military said.
"Following this, there will be an additional transfer of another two coffins of deceased hostages," it said.
The Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, had released the names of four hostages whose remains they plan to return to Israel during the day.
The previous day, Israeli authorities had said they did not expect all the deceased hostages to be returned on Monday, in which case an “international body” included in the U.S. plan would help locate them, according to the army.
According to the latest reports, Israel released 1,968 detainees on Monday in exchange for the 20 living hostages freed by Hamas.
AFP
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