Jerusalem [Israel], November 26: Israel said the Red Cross had handed over a set of human remains believed to belong to an Israeli captive held in Gaza.
"Israel has received, via the Red Cross, the coffin of a fallen hostage," which was handed over to Israeli soldiers and intelligence officers inside Gaza, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said in a statement.
Testing is expected to be carried out to determine whether the remains belong to one of the three remaining deceased captives still in the besieged Gaza Strip.
The handover of the remains is part of a United States-brokered plan to end Israel's genocidal war against the Palestinian people in Gaza, where a tenuous ceasefire continues to hold despite continuing Israeli attacks across the territory.
Palestinian armed groups have returned the bodies of 25 captives as part of the deal between Israel and Hamas, which took effect on October 10. In return, Israel has released the bodies of 330 Palestinians to authorities in Gaza.
Hamas says it has not been able to reach all of the remains because they are buried under rubble from Israel's more than two-year war.
Earlier on Tuesday, Netanyahu's office said the delay amounted to a ceasefire violation. However, since the ceasefire began, Israel has violated the truce at least 497 times, killing 342 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Government Media Office. Children, women and the elderly account for the majority of those victims. (Agencies)
Source: Qatar Tribune
