Gaza city: The Palestinian group Hamas announced on Tuesday that it will transfer the remains of another Israeli hostage this evening as part of a ceasefire agreement with Israel. The Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, stated that the handover will occur at 8:00 pm local time (1800GMT).

According to Anadolu Agency, the body was recovered during operations in the 'yellow line' area east of the Shejaiya neighborhood in eastern Gaza City. The 'yellow line' marks the initial withdrawal line stipulated in the ceasefire deal, which became effective on October 10, separating Israeli-controlled areas from those accessible to Palestinians.

Hamas acknowledged that the introduction of heavy engineering equipment, alongside its crews and Red Cross teams, has facilitated the expedited recovery of bodies. The group has so far released 20 Israeli captives alive and returned the remains of 18 deceased captives, mostly Israelis, under the ceasefire. However, Israel has expressed that one of the bodies returned did not correspond to any of its missing captives.

Israel has conditioned the initiation of negotiations for the second phase of the ceasefire on the complete handover of all hostage remains. In response, Hamas has indicated that the process is time-consuming due to the extensive damage in Gaza.

The first phase of the agreement encompasses the release of Israeli hostages in exchange for the freedom of nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners. The broader plan includes the reconstruction of Gaza and the formation of a new governing body excluding Hamas.

Since October 2023, Israeli attacks in Gaza have resulted in the deaths of approximately 69,000 people, predominantly women and children, and have left over 170,000 others injured.