Tel aviv: The Israeli government has confirmed that the body handed over by the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas has been identified as Eliyahu Margalit, a resident of Kibbutz Nir Oz in southern Israel. Margalit, aged 75, was murdered during the attack by Hamas on October 7, 2023, and his body was subsequently taken to the Gaza Strip.

According to Ghana News Agency, Margalit's daughter was kidnapped alive during the incident but was later released as part of an agreement concerning the handover of hostages. Late on Friday, the Israeli military announced that the coffin containing Margalit's body was handed over to staff from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

The ceasefire agreement stipulates that Hamas must hand over a total of 28 bodies. Currently, the bodies of 18 hostages remain in the Gaza Strip. Hamas claims that recovering the bodies is challenging due to them being buried under the rubble of bombed buildings and tunnels.

On Monday, Hamas released the last 20 living hostages. The first phase of the ceasefire in the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, initiated by US President Donald Trump, includes the release and handover of all living and deceased hostages.