Hamas is expected to hand over the bodies of four more Israeli hostages to Israel tonight, as it has been confirmed that all previously returned remains have been identified.

The organization has notified mediators that the transfer will commence at 10pm local time (1900 GMT) on Tuesday, a person involved in the process told Reuters.

Earlier, it was announced by Israeli officials that the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt would stay shut at least until Wednesday, and aid deliveries into Gaza would be minimized to exert pressure on Hamas to return the remaining bodies.

Red Cross teams are searching Gaza’s ruins for deceased hostages after Israel warned Hamas it had until tonight to deliver the rest. 

However, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) cautioned that the operation could take a substantial amount of time due to the challenges of retrieving bodies from the ruins.

‘Searching for human remains presents a much greater challenge than the release of living hostages,’ explained Christian Cardon, an ICRC spokesperson in Geneva. He noted that this process might take days or even weeks.

On Monday, Hamas released the last living Israeli captives from Gaza as part of a ceasefire agreement, while Israel reciprocated by freeing busloads of Palestinian prisoners, with U.S. President Donald Trump announcing the conclusion of the two-year conflict.

Only four coffins have so far been returned to Israel, leaving more than 20 bodies still unaccounted for. 

Israel is also expected to hand over an unspecified number of Palestinian remains.

The ICRC said it has deployed 23 additional staff, body bags and refrigerated vehicles to help ensure the dead are treated with dignity in Gaza, much of which lies in ruins.

It said it was a ‘massive challenge’ given the difficulties of finding bodies in Gaza’s rubble. 

Palestinian militant group Hamas freed the last living Israeli hostages from Gaza on Monday under a ceasefire deal, and Israel sent home busloads of Palestinian detainees as U.S. President Donald Trump declared an end to the two-year war.

But only four coffins containing the remains of deceased hostages have so far been returned to Israel, leaving over 20 bodies yet to be located. 

For its part, Israel is supposed to hand over an unspecified number of Palestinian bodies.

‘The search for human remains is obviously an even bigger challenge than having the people alive being released. That’s a massive challenge,’ ICRC spokesperson Christian Cardon said at a Geneva press briefing, adding it could take days or weeks.

‘I think there is clearly a risk that that will take much more time. What we are telling the parties is that that should be their top priority,’ he said on Tuesday.

‘All parties must ensure that the return of human remains is done under dignified conditions, and uphold dignity and humanity,’ the ICRC added in a statement.

Cardon declined to discuss further details about the possible whereabouts of the deceased hostages, citing the sensitivity of the ongoing operation.

It is, however, feared that some of the remains may never be located.

Cardon praised the fact that the handover of the 20 living hostages on Monday was done discreetly, without a repeat of the Hamas-directed hostage release ceremonies of previous transfers.

The ICRC, a neutral humanitarian intermediary, has facilitated the transfer of 172 hostages and 3,473 Palestinian detainees since the war began on Oct. 7, 2023.

The Red Cross’ involvement in the search for bodies comes as Gaza’s civil defence agency said Israeli forces had killed six Palestinians in separate incidents on Tuesday, while the military reported its troops had opened fire on suspects who approached their positions.

Mahmud Bassal, spokesman for the civil defence agency, which operates as a rescue force under Hamas, said five people were killed as they inspected their homes in the Shujaiya district of Gaza City. 

‘Israeli quadcopter drones opened fire on civilians inspecting their homes in Shujaiya,’ Bassal said.

The Israeli military said its troops fired after ‘several suspects were identified crossing the yellow line and approaching IDF troops operating in the northern Gaza Strip’.

‘Attempts were made to distance the suspects,’ the statement said.

‘The suspects did not comply and continued approaching the troops, who opened fire to remove the threat.’

It also comes as the bereaved families of those killed in Gaza expressed anger that their loved ones’ remains were not returned. 

The Israeli Hostages and Missing Families Forum called it a ‘blatant breach’ of the ceasefire and urged the government to take ‘immediate action’. 

It said: ‘We expect Israel’s government and the mediators to take immediate action to rectify this grave injustice.’ 

‘The families of the deceased hostages are enduring especially difficult days filled with deep sorrow.

‘We will not abandon any hostage. The mediators must enforce the agreement’s terms and ensure Hamas pays a price for this violation.’

The group also penned a letter to US special envoy Steve Witkoff to ‘pull out every stop and leave no stone unturned’ in ensuring the return of the deceased. 

One of the stipulations of Donald Trump’s 20-point peace plan was that Hamas would release all hostages – dead or alive – within 72 hours of Israel agreeing to the deal.  

It is now believed that some of the bodies have been lost and buried under the ruins of Gaza. 

In addition to the Red Cross’ efforts, a joint multinational task force involving Israel, the US, Turkey, Qatar, and Egypt has been established to locate the bodies. 

Authorities indicated that the task force would be deployed following the identification of the four bodies that Hamas sent.

Meanwhile, this morning, the IDF confirmed the identities of the four bodies recovered so far. 

The military named 26-year-old Israeli national Guy Iluz and 22-year-old Nepalese agriculture student Bipin Joshi among the dead. 

The other two were identified in Israeli media as Yossi Sharabi, 54, and Daniel Peretz, 22.

Joshi had arrived in Israel from Nepal just three weeks before the October 7 attacks to begin an agricultural training program. 

He reportedly saved his friends by catching a grenade thrown by Hamas before being captured. The IDF said it believes he was killed “during the first months of the war.”

Iluz was among those seized at the Nova music festival. He initially fled and hid in a tree before militants found him. Although captured alive and wounded, the IDF said he later died from his injuries due to a lack of medical treatment in captivity.

Sharabi was abducted from his home in Be’eri in front of his wife, Nira, and their daughters. 

Nira said her husband “guarded the door of the fortified room” while the girls hid under a blanket. 

Family and friends described him as full of life and always looking to the future.

Peretz, a division commander, was praised for his heroism during the October 7 massacre, when he fought to protect both soldiers and civilians. 

His father, Doron, said militants eventually surrounded his tank and took him hostage.

According to reports, some families who were expecting to be reunited with their loved ones were later told they had died.

Observers are now concerned that the peace plan to end the war may be at risk if the bodies of the dead are not recovered.

According to Israeli reports, Israel is reconsidering its decision to reopen the Rafah border crossing, following Hamas’ failure to return all dead hostages.

This is a breaking news story, more to follow.