The armed wings of Palestinian militant groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad say they will hand over the body of an Israeli hostage.
If the transfer – scheduled for 8pm on Thursday – takes place, the bodies of three hostages will still be held in the Gaza Strip.
Islamic Jihad, which is allied with Hamas and also seized hostages during the October 7, 2023 attack that precipitated the Gaza Strip war, said the body was recovered in the city of Khan Younis, in the enclave’s south.
Hamas’ statement did not specify the identity of the body to be returned that, in past cases were subsequently examined by the Abu Kabir Forensic Institute in Tel Aviv.
The militants will return the body to the Red Cross, which in turn will hand it over to the Israeli army to take it out of the strip and take it to the forensic institute.
An Israeli government spokesperson told reporters on Thursday Israel was unaware of any planned return.
Under an October ceasefire deal, Hamas released all 20 surviving hostages still held in the Gaza Strip in exchange for nearly 2000 Palestinian prisoners and wartime detainees held by Israel.
The agreement also provided for the return of the remains of 28 hostages in exchange for the remains of 360 militants.
with EFE
