Update: Israel receives four more hostage bodies handed over by Hamas

Alsharq Tribune-AFP 

Israel received the bodies of four hostages on Tuesday night after they were handed over to the Red Cross by Hamas in Gaza.

The bodies were transferred to Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) and Shin Bet personnel inside the Gaza Strip, the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement. They were later transferred across the border into Israel under escort by Israeli forces, the military and Shin Bet said in an updated joint statement.

The remains are being taken to the National Center of Forensic Medicine in Tel Aviv for identification. Unlike a similar handover on Monday, Hamas did not disclose the identities of the bodies in advance, and Israeli authorities said their identities remain unclear.

"After the identification process is completed, an official notification will be delivered to the families," Netanyahu's office said.

On Monday, Hamas returned the bodies of four hostages along with 20 surviving captives as part of a ceasefire deal under which Israel released about 2,000 Palestinian detainees and prisoners.

Israel said about 20 more bodies of hostages remain in Gaza and demanded that Hamas hand them over as well.