Freed Israeli hostage Bar Kupershtein, center, recently released from Hamas captivity in Gaza, attends a tefillin-laying ceremony at a plaza known as Hostages Square, in Tel Aviv, Israel. (AP)

The remains of three people handed to the Red Cross by Hamas in Gaza do not belong to any of the Israeli hostages, Israel said on Saturday, calling it another setback to the US-mediated ceasefire with Hamas.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ’s office said the three sets of remains “did not belong to any of the hostages.” It was not clear whose remains they were.

The handover came after Israel returned the bodies of 30 Palestinians to Gaza on Friday, completing an exchange that followed Hamas’ earlier transfer of two Israeli hostages’ remains.

Hamas’ armed wing said it had offered Israel sample

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