ISTANBUL

The Palestinian group Hamas handed over the remains of another Israeli hostage to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) late Wednesday under its ceasefire agreement with Israel.

A statement by the Israeli military said a coffin of a deceased hostage had been transferred to the ICRC and was on the way to Israeli troops in Gaza.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said that “the coffin of the abducted fallen soldier” has been transferred to the Israeli forces inside Gaza, according to the Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth.

Hamas earlier said in a brief statement that the remains will be transferred at 9 pm local time (1900GMT) after it was found under the rubble east of Gaza City's Shejaiya neighborhood.

Hamas has released 20 Israeli captives alive and handed over the remains of 23 out of 28, most of them Israelis, since the ceasefire took effect on Oct. 10. Israel, however, claimed that one of the received bodies did not match any of its listed captives.

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 close to 69,000 people, mostly women and children, and injured over 170,600 others in attacks in Gaza since October 2023.