Israel has received the body of what is believed to be a deceased hostage from Palestinian militants in Gaza via the Red Cross, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office and the Israeli military said on Thursday.

The body, the army said, is already back inside Israel and is on its way to forensic experts for identification.

If confirmed as a hostage, this would leave the remains of three hostages still held in Gaza.

“The effort to return our hostages is ongoing and will not cease until the last hostage is returned,” Netanyahu’s office said in a statement.

Earlier, the armed wings of militant groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad said they would hand over the body of a hostage at 8 p.m. local time (1800 GMT), though Israel had said it had not received any official notification of a planned tr

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