The Israeli army said that the Red Cross received the coffin of an Israeli hostage from Gaza.
"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 IDF (Israeli army) troops in Gaza," the military said late on Monday.
In a brief statement earlier on Monday on Telegram, Hamas’ armed wing, the Qassam Brigades, said the handover would take place at around 1900 GMT.
Israel’s public broadcaster KAN also reported earlier that preparations were under way to receive the body around 9:00 pm local time – roughly an hour before a deadline set by US President Donald Trump for transferring the remains under the ceasefire deal.
The first phase of the ceasefire took effect on October 10 under Trump’s 20-point plan. Since then, Hamas has released 20 living Israeli hostages and the bodies of 16 others. The remains of 12 hostages are still in the enclave.
The ceasefire plan also envisages the rebuilding of Gaza and the establishment of a new governing mechanism without Hamas.
Israel’s genocidal war in Gaza has killed over 68,500 people and injured more than 170,300 others since October 2023, according to Palestinian authorities.
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Source: TRT