Israel says remains of three more hostages handed over

Israel has said Hamas has handed over the remains of three more hostages from Gaza.

The group said they were discovered in a southern Gaza tunnel on Sunday. Israel Defence Forces said "three coffins of deceased hostages" were transported in its care by the Red Cross this evening.

Tests to verify their identity will be done at the forensic institute in Tel Aviv. It comes after Israeli sources said the remains of three other people repatriated on Saturday did not match any of the missing hostages.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier this week ordered new airstrikes after he accused Hamas of releasing remains of a hostage who had already been recovered. All 20 living hostages were freed under the Gaza ceasefire deal, which began on 10 October.

The remains of 28 dead Israelis were meant to be immediately handed over but Hamas has blamed the ruinous state of Gaza and a lack of equipment for problems locating them all. Egypt and the Red Cross have been using diggers to help search the rubble.

Seventeen sets of remains had previously been handed over, but the bodies of 11 more hostages were thought to still be in Gaza, including those of two foreign nationals. Israel has accused Hamas of deliberately stalling.

On Thursday, it said the remains of two hostages returned by Hamas had been confirmed as Sahar Baruch and Amiram Cooper, both taken during the 7 October terror attack. Israel released nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners when the truce began, and has handed over more than 200 bodies, but the violence hasn't stopped completely.

Gaza health authorities say 236 people have been killed in strikes since the ceasefire began. Nearly half are said to have happened in a single day earlier this week when Israel retaliated for what it said was the death of a solider in "enemy fire".

Hamas denied responsibility for the shooting. On Sunday, a Palestinian man was also killed by an airstrike near a vegetable market in Gaza City's Shejaia suburb, according to Gaza's health ministry and the Al-Ahli Hospital.

Israel said one of its jets had attacked a fighter posing a threat to its forces. Three of its soldiers are said to have been killed during the truce.

"There are still Hamas pockets in the areas under our control in Gaza, and we are systematically eliminating them,"Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a broadcast on Sunday. The 20-point ceasefire plan was brokered by President Trump and has allowed Gazans to return to their devastated communities after Israeli troops pulled back.

More desperately needed aid has also been allowed in. It remains to be seen whether the truce can hold long enough to make progress on other difficult questions; such as Gaza's future governance, reconstruction, and the disarmament of Hamas.

About 1,200 people were killed and 251 kidnapped in the Hamas terror attack that sparked the war two years ago. Gaza officials say more than 68,600 Palestinians have died in attacks - a figure which doesn't break down the number of civilians and fighters..