Gaza city: The Palestinian group Hamas announced on Sunday that it would return the body of an Israeli soldier, Hadar Goldin, as part of a Gaza ceasefire agreement. The Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, stated that the remains would be handed over at 2 pm local time (1200GMT).

According to Anadolu Agency, Goldin's body was discovered on Saturday in a tunnel located in the Yebna camp in the southern city of Rafah. Goldin was captured by Palestinian resistance fighters in 2014 during an Israeli military operation in Gaza.

Hamas has previously released 20 Israeli captives alive and handed over the remains of 25 individuals, mostly Israelis, since the ceasefire commenced on October 10. However, Israel reported that one of the bodies received did not correspond to any of its documented captives.

The initial phase of the ceasefire agreement involves the release of Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. The agreement also outlines plans for the reconstruction of Gaza and the establishment of a new governing body that excludes Hamas.

Since October 2023, Israeli military actions in Gaza have resulted in over 69,000 deaths, predominantly affecting women and children, and have injured more than 170,600 individuals.