Israel said it received the body of a captive from Gaza through the International Committee of the Red Cross and added it will begin allowing Palestinians to leave through a border crossing with Egypt – but not return.
The announcements follow statements from the armed wings of Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad saying they would hand over the body at 5pm (15:00 GMT) on Wednesday after it was recovered in northern Gaza.
“The coffin will then be transferred to Israel, to the Health Ministry National Center of Forensic Medicine. Upon completion of the identification process and as per the findings, formal notification will be delivered to the family,” the Israeli military said in a post on X.
This comes a day after Israel said remains previously transferred by Hamas were not linked to any of the bodies of captives still held in the Gaza Strip.
The handover of remains forms part of a United States-brokered plan aimed at ending Israel’s genocidal war on the Palestinian people in Gaza. A fragile ceasefire continues to hold despite persistent Israeli killings across the enclave.
Under the terms of the ceasefire, the long-closed Rafah crossing is to be opened for medical evacuations and travel to and from Gaza. The World Health Organization says there are more than 16,500 sick and wounded people who need to leave Gaza for medical care.
It was not immediately clear when the border crossing would be opened, however, because of a dispute Israel is having with Egypt.
Israel says Palestinians will not be able to return to Gaza through the crossing until the last captive remains are returned from Gaza. Egypt, which controls the other side, said the crossing will open only if movement goes both ways.
Twenty living abductees and the remains of 26 others have been returned to Israel since the ceasefire began in early October. Two bodies still in Gaza are those of Ran Gvili, an Israeli police officer, and Thai national Sudthisak Rinthalak, a farm labourer.
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