Israel says the remains of three hostages have been handed over from Gaza and will be examined by forensic experts, as a fragile month-old ceasefire with the terror organisation Hamas holds.

A statement from Hamas said earlier on Sunday that the remains were found in a tunnel in southern Gaza.

Since the ceasefire took effect on October 10, Palestinian militants had released the remains of 17 hostages, with 11 remaining in Gaza, before the handover on Sunday.

Militants have released one or two bodies every few days, while Israel has urged faster progress, and in certain cases it has said the remains aren't of any hostage.

Hamas has said the work is complicated by widespread devastation in Gaza.

Israel's military said official identification of these remains would be provided to familie

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