Hamas has handed over the body of another Israeli hostage, the militant group and Israeli military have confirmed.
It comes amid an ongoing dispute about the delay in the handover of the remains of hostages by Hamas.
Israel says it has received nine of 28 bodies held in Gaza, and Hamas, citing technical problems, said it needed heavy machinery and excavating equipment to speed up the process of locating bodies buried under rubble.
Israel, insisting Hamas knows the whereabouts of the hostages’ bodies, had said the group was running out of time.
Hamas has said it remains committed to the ceasefire agreement and to handing over the bodies of all remaining hostages.
In a statement on Friday, Hamas’s armed wing said a new body had been recovered and would be released at 11pm local time.
The Israeli military later confirmed the handover occurred around 1am (9am Saturday AEDT).
Ceasefire concerns
The issue has cast a shadow over the ceasefire agreement — the first phase of US President Donald Trump’s 20-point plan to end the war.
At a news conference in Ankara, Turkish foreign minister Hakan Fidan said Israel’s statements were worrying.
“Will Israel use Hamas’s incapability to locate bodies left under rubble … as an excuse and break the ceasefire? There is concern in the international community over this,” he said.
Teams from the Red Cross and Palestinian rescue crews work to recover the bodies of Israeli hostages in Khan Younis in Gaza on Friday. Source: Anadolu, Getty / Hani Alshaer
Earlier on Friday, Hamas called on mediators to push for the next steps under the ceasefire, including reopening the border, letting in aid, beginning reconstruction, setting up an administration and completing Israel’s withdrawal.
Fighting has largely stopped in Gaza under Trump’s plan, endorsed by mediators Egypt, Qatar and Turkey.
However, Gaza’s Civil Defence Service on Friday said 11 people were killed when Israeli troops opened fire on a vehicle southeast of Gaza City, including seven children and three women.
The Israeli military did not comment on the incident.
The 20 living hostages taken with others in the October 7 attack on Israel were returned from Gaza earlier this week.
Israel on Thursday said it was preparing for the reopening of Gaza’s Rafah crossing with Egypt to allow Palestinians to move in and out, but gave no date as it traded blame with Hamas over violations of the ceasefire.
Other unresolved elements of the plan include the disarmament of militants and Gaza’s future governance.
