Remains of 4 more Israeli hostages handed over by Hamas

More remains of Israeli hostages were handed over by Hamas on Tuesday, as part of a US-brokered deal aimed at maintaining peace in Gaza, Israeli authorities said.

Four coffins of deceased hostages were transferred to the Red Cross and were on their way to the Israel Defense Forces and the Israel Security Agency in the Gaza Strip, according to a joint statement from the IDF and the ISA, citing information provided by the Red Cross.

“Hamas is required to respect the agreement and take the necessary measures to return the hostages,” the statement said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office also confirmed in a statement Tuesday evening local time that the remains of the four hostages had been handed over.

The remains “will be received under military status with the chief military rabbi,” Netanyahu’s office said, after which they will be transferred to the National Forensic Center of the Israeli Ministry of Health for identification.

Once identified, the victims’ families will be informed, Netanyahu’s office said.

Return of hostages is cornerstone of Gaza peace plan, which calls on Hamas to hand over all remaining hostages – 20 alive and 28 deaths – by Monday October 13.

While Hamas returned the 20 hostages alive before Monday’s deadline, the remains of only four deceased Israeli captives were delivered on Monday. They were identified Tuesday by Netanyahu’s office as Guy Iluz, Israeli military captain Daniel Peretz, Yossi Sharabi and Bipin Joshi.

Along with those handed over on Tuesday, Hamas will now have handed over the remains of eight deceased hostages to Israel.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said in a social media post on Monday that Hamas’ return of just four bodies was “a violation of the agreement” and added that “any delay or deliberate avoidance will be considered a blatant violation of the agreement and will be dealt with accordingly.”

During the negotiations that led to the agreement, Hamas representatives said they did not know the location of all the remains of the deceased hostages, according to Israeli media. President Trump also said in Egypt on Monday that not all of the bodies of the deceased hostages had been found, adding that unidentified parties were still “searching” for a way to locate an unspecified number of remains.

Gal Hirsch, hostage and missing persons coordinator for the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office, told CBS News last week that an international team would be established to locate missing hostages in Gaza, but details on who would form that team and when it might begin its work were not confirmed Tuesday.

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum, which represents families of Israeli hostages, expressed anger that not all bodies have been returned and called on the United States to spare no effort in demanding that Hamas uphold its side of the deal and return all remaining hostages home.

In exchange for Israeli hostages, the peace deal stipulated that Israel would release nearly 2,000 Palestinian detainees and prisoners held by Israel. He also called for an increase in humanitarian aid to Gaza and a partial withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Palestinian territory’s main cities – which happened on Friday and kicked off a three-day window for the return of Israeli hostages.