Israel on Sunday announced that the remains of three hostages had been handed over from Gaza and would be examined by forensic experts, as a fragile month-old ceasefire held.

A Hamas statement earlier said the remains were found Sunday in a tunnel in southern Gaza.

Since the ceasefire took effect on Oct. 10, Palestinian militants had released the remains of 17 hostages, with 11 remaining in Gaza, before Sunday's handover.

Militants have released one or two bodies every few days. Israel has urged faster progress, and in certain cases it has said the remains arent of any hostage. Hamas has said the work is complicated by widespread devastation.

Israels military said official identification of these remains would be provided to families first.

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