Jerusalem: Israel said on Tuesday that the remains handed over by Hamas on Monday night were in fact body parts belonging to a hostage whose body had already been recovered by the Israeli army around two years ago.

In a statement, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said Israel regarded the handover as "a clear violation" of the ceasefire agreement with Hamas, adding that a security meeting would be convened later on Tuesday with senior defence officials to discuss Israel's response.

The remains were transferred by Hamas via the Red Cross in Gaza overnight and later taken to Tel Aviv for forensic identification.

Netanyahu's office said that following the identification process, "it was determined that the remains returned last night belong to the fallen hostage Ofir Tzarfati."

See Full Page