Israel on Sunday announced the identity of one of two dead hostages returned by Hamas the previous day as 54-year-old Ronen Engel.

The military "informed the family of hostage Ronen Engel... that their loved one has been returned to Israel and his identification has been completed", Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said in a statement.

Israel would spare no effort "until all the fallen hostages are repatriated", it added.

Engel, a resident of Nir Oz kibbutz, was abducted from his home and killed by Hamas on October 7, 2023, and his body taken to Gaza. The Israeli army announced his death on December 1, 2023.

He was one of two dead hostages returned by Hamas on Saturday as delays in finding bodies buried under the rubble of Gaza threaten the fragile ceasefire.

Engel's wife, K

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