Israel confirmed on Monday that remains handed over by Hamas belonged to three Israeli military officials who had been taken captive by the group on October 7, 2023 and held in the Gaza Strip. Hamas has so far returned 20 surviving hostages and the remains of 20 others as part of an ongoing ceasefire deal with Israel.

Israelconfirmed Monday thatremains handed over by Hamasthe day before belonged to threehostagesseized by Palestinian militants during theOctober 7, 2023 attack.

The remains were handed over as part of the ongoing Gazaceasefiredeal brokered by US PresidentDonald Trump.

"Following the completion of the identification process... representatives of the IDF (military) informed the families of the hostages killed in action... that their loved ones have been repatriated to Israel and identified," the statement said.

The remains are those of American-Israeli Captain Omer Neutra, 21 years old at the time of his abduction, Corporal Oz Daniel, 19, and Colonel Assaf Hamami, 40, the highest-ranking officer killed by Hamas.

Hamas handed over their remains on Sunday via theRed Cross.

Hamas's armed wing said it had found the remains earlier on Sunday "along the route of one of the tunnels in the southernGaza Strip".

Hamas had been holding 48 hostages in Gaza when the truce came into effect on October 10, including 20 who were alive.

Since the start of the truce, Hamas has released the 20 surviving hostages and begun handing over the remains of 28 deceased captives. Of the latter, it has so far returned 20 including 18 Israelis, one Thai national, and one Nepali.

Israel has accused Hamas of dragging its feet in returning the bodies, while the Palestinian group says the process is slow because many remains are buried beneath Gaza's rubble.

It has repeatedly called on mediators and the Red Cross to provide it with the necessary equipment and personnel to recover the bodies.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP)

Originally published on France24