The Israeli army has said that the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has received the remains of four Israeli captives in besieged Gaza and is transferring them to Israeli forces.
"According to information provided by the Red Cross, four coffins of deceased hostages have been transferred into their custody and are on their way to IDF (Israeli army) and ISA forces in the Gaza Strip," the army said in a statement.
Earlier, the army said the ICRC was on its way to a designated location in the northern Gaza to receive the bodies of several Israeli captives.
The Palestinian group handed over the remains of four Israeli captives on Monday under a Gaza ceasefire agreement.
Hamas also released 20 living Israeli hostages early Monday in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners as part of the first phase of the ceasefire deal brokered last week.
Last week, US President Donald Trump announced that Israel and Hamas had agreed to the first phase of a plan he unveiled on September 29 to bring a ceasefire to Gaza, secure the release of all Israeli captives in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, and begin a gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from the enclave.
The first phase of the plan came into effect on Friday.
According to details shared by US officials, phase two of the proposal includes the establishment of a new governing mechanism in Gaza, the creation of a multinational force, and the disarmament of Hamas.
The Red Cross has not issued an independent statement confirming the receipt of the remains.
The handover follows weeks of intense negotiations mediated by Qatar and Egypt, with Washington involved in parallel talks aimed at extending the ceasefire beyond its initial stages.
The Israeli army said identification procedures would be conducted before the bodies are returned to families.
