The armed wings of Palestinian militant groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad say they will hand over the body of an Israeli hostage.

If the transfer - scheduled for 8pm on Thursday - takes place, the bodies of three hostages will still be held in the Gaza Strip.

Islamic Jihad, which is allied with Hamas and also seized hostages during the October 7, 2023 attack that precipitated the Gaza Strip war, said the body was recovered in the city of Khan Younis, in the enclave's south.

Hamas' statement did not specify the identity of the body to be returned that, in past cases were subsequently examined by the Abu Kabir Forensic Institute in Tel Aviv.

The militants will return the body to the Red Cross, which in turn will hand it over to the Israeli army to take it out of the strip and take it to the

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