Israeli forces have received from the Red Cross in Gaza the remains of a hostage believed to be those of Israeli soldier Hadar Goldin, whose body has been held by Hamas for the past 11 years, the Israeli prime minister’s office said.

The office said the remains were being transferred to Israel’s national forensic institute in Tel Aviv for identification, Xinhua news agency reported.

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Earlier on Sunday, Hamas announced it was handing over the body of Goldin, an army officer killed during Israel’s 2014 Gaza war. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later confirmed the remains were believed to be Goldin’s.

At the start of his weekly cabinet meeting, Netanyahu said that over the 11 years Hamas held Goldin’s body, “successive Israeli governments made great efforts to bring him bac

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