Israel said the Red Cross had on Tuesday handed over the coffin of a hostage held in Gaza, adding that the remains would soon be taken for forensic identification.

Prior to this latest handover, the remains of three deceased hostages were still being held in the Gaza Strip -- two Israelis and one Thai national.

Hamas and its allies have been handing over the remains of hostages as part of the US-brokered ceasefire deal with Israel that came into force early last month.

"Israel has received, via the Red Cross, the coffin of a fallen hostage," handed over to the Israeli military and security services inside the Gaza Strip, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said in a statement.

"From there, it will be transferred to Israel, where it will be received in a military ceremony.

"It w

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