Israel prepares to receive the remains of several hostages

The identities of the hostages have not been released.

This marks the first handover of deceased hostages since the ceasefire deal with Hamas went into effect in January. The Israeli military had previously retrieved the bodies of multiple hostages in Gaza.

The return of the hostages’ remains comes as the state of the ceasefire deal appears uncertain, even after the release of three more hostages on Saturday. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that he would discuss the second phase of the deal with his political-security cabinet on Monday.

According to the terms of the initial ceasefire and hostage release agreement, the next exchange is scheduled for February 22, when three hostages are set to be released.

This is a developing story and will be updated.