Sawt Falasteen - Israel says Gaza hostage coffin received

Prior to this latest handover, the bodies of three deceased hostages were still being held in the Gaza Strip -- those of two Israelis and one Thai national.

Hamas and its allies have been handing over the final hostages as part of the US-brokered ceasefire deal with Israel that came into force on October 10.

"Israel has received, via the Red Cross, the coffin of a fallen hostage," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said in a statement.

The coffin was handed over to the Israeli military and security services inside the Gaza Strip, then transferred to Israel where it was received in a military ceremony.

The coffin was then taken to the National Centre of Forensic Medicine in Tel Aviv.

An AFP journalist saw a white van, escorted by police vehicles and motorcycle outriders, going through the gates of the forensic centre.

Police officers, lined up outside the gates, saluted.

- 'Difficult hour' -

"Upon completion of the identification process, formal notification will be delivered to the family," Netanyahu's office said.

"The families of the fallen hostages have been updated accordingly, and our hearts are with them in this difficult hour.

"The effort to return our hostages is ongoing and will not cease until the last hostage is returned."

The International Committee of the Red Cross confirmed it had "facilitated the transfer of one deceased to Israeli authorities, acting as a neutral intermediary".

Islamic Jihad's armed wing said it had located the body of a hostage on Monday during search operations in the central Gaza Strip.

A source in the Palestinian militant group, who requested anonymity, said the remains belonged to one of the last three hostages.

- Fragile truce -

The war was sparked by Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, which resulted in the deaths of 1,221 people.

Militants took 251 people hostage during the attack.

Israel's retaliatory assault on Gaza has killed at least 69,775 people, according to figures from the territory's health ministry that the UN considers reliable.

At the start of the ceasefire, militants were holding 20 living hostages and 28 bodies of deceased captives.

All the living hostages were released early in the ceasefire, while the return of the deceased hostages has dragged on, with Hamas blaming difficulties in getting to the bodies under the rubble.

In exchange, Israel has released nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners in its custody and returned the bodies of hundreds of dead Palestinians.

- Trio 'must come back' -

Prior to Tuesday's handover, the bodies of three hostages were still in Gaza.

Dror Or, 48, was killed in the October 7, 2023 attack on his home in Beeri kibbutz and his body taken to Gaza. He was head chef and cheesemaker in the kibbutz dairy.

Sudthisak Rinthalak, 43, was from Nong Khai province in northeastern Thailand. He worked in agriculture in Beeri. He was killed in the attack and his body taken to Gaza.

Ran Gvili, 24, an officer in the Yasam elite police unit in the southern Negev region, was on medical leave. When he heard of the attack he decided to leave his home with his own gun. He died in the fighting at the Alumim kibbutz and his body was taken to Gaza.

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum said on X: "Dror, Ran and Sudthisak must come back. We will not stop until they return."

Gvili's sister Shira added: "I miss my brother terribly and want him to come back. We are exhausted. The constant fear that it simply won't happen is tiring."

D.Qudsi--SF-PST