Israel confirms reception of four hostage bodies from Gaza, identification underway

The Israeli military has received the bodies of four hostages held by Palestinian radicals in the Gaza Strip from the International Committee of the Red Cross, the office of the Prime Minister of the Jewish state, Benjamin Netanyahu confirms, Report informs via TASS.

"Israel has, through the Red Cross, received the coffins of four deceased hostages. The coffins were, with Egyptian mediation, handed over to an IDF force at the Kerem Shalom Crossing. The initial identification process on Israeli territory has begun," the statement says.

The office of the Israeli Prime Minister requested the public "to respect the families' privacy and refrain from disseminating rumors and unofficial and baseless information."

Earlier, Arabic-language TV channels Al Hadath and Asharq reported that representatives of the radical Palestinian movement Hamas and their allies handed over the bodies of four hostages to the Red Cross. Hamas did not officially comment on this information. Meanwhile, it became known that the first bus with Palestinian prisoners released from Israeli prisons arrived in the West Bank of the Jordan River.