Hamas handed over the bodies of four additional deceased hostages to Israel, as identification efforts continue, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed.
The Red Cross retrieved the remains, which were placed in coffins, and transferred them to Israeli authorities late Tuesday night.
The return follows Israel's warning to Hamas that aid to Gaza could be restricted until all 28 deceased hostages were handed back.
On Monday, Hamas returned 20 living and four dead hostages.
Meanwhile, the Red Cross announced that Gaza received the remains of 45 Palestinians who had been detained in Israel.
The first four deceased hostages released on Monday have been identified as Daniel Peretz, 22; Yossi Sharabi, 53; Guy Illouz, 26; and Bipin Joshi, 23, a Nepalese national.
Under the ceasefire plan introduced by US President Donald Trump, both Israel and Hamas had agreed that all 48 hostages would be returned by Monday noon.
While the living hostages were released, concern is mounting over the 20 deceased hostages whose bodies have not yet been repatriated. Palestinians fear delays could affect the future of the ceasefire.
In a statement, the IDF said: "Hamas is required to fulfil its part of the agreement and make the necessary efforts to return all the hostages to their families and to proper burial." Israel’s defence minister added that "any delay or deliberate avoidance will be considered a gross violation of the agreement and will be responded to accordingly."
Officials also noted that Israel has decided to limit aid and postpone plans to open the Rafah border with Egypt after Hamas failed to meet its obligations under the ceasefire. Hamas explained that it has struggled to locate all the dead hostages.
Nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees were released under Trump’s 20-point peace plan, which aims to end the two-year war. The ceasefire took effect at 12:00 local time on 10 October.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed hope for a peaceful next phase in talks with Hamas, stressing that Trump's conditions were clear: Hamas must demilitarise or "all hell breaks loose." He said: "First, Hamas has to give up its arms. And second, you want to make sure that there are no weapons factories inside Gaza. There's no smuggling of weapons into Gaza. That's demilitarisation."
Trump echoed the pressure, saying: "They're going to disarm, because they said they would disarm. And if they don't disarm, we will disarm them."
Despite the ceasefire holding mostly steady, Palestinian Civil Defence reported that seven people were killed on Tuesday in eastern Gaza and near Khan Younis. An Israeli drone strike in Shejaiya killed five residents, whom the military said had crossed the “yellow line” under the ceasefire agreement.
Hamas fighters have also been seen reasserting control in Gaza, with reports of masked gunmen executing eight Palestinians publicly. While Hamas claims it is restoring order, many residents fear the group is using the unrest to settle scores and silence opponents.
Trump, alongside leaders from Egypt and Qatar, signed the ceasefire declaration Monday, with Turkey playing a key role in the final stages of negotiations.
More than 20 world leaders, including the UK’s Keir Starmer and France’s Emmanuel Macron, attended, though Netanyahu and Hamas were absent.
The plan envisions Gaza initially governed by a transitional committee of Palestinian technocrats under the oversight of the "Board of Peace," before control is eventually handed to the Palestinian Authority following reforms.
Negotiations remain challenging over Israeli troop withdrawal, Hamas disarmament, and Gaza’s governance.
Hamas has stated it will not disarm without the establishment of a Palestinian state and has rejected foreign administration in Gaza.
The IDF campaign in Gaza followed Hamas’s attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, which left about 1,200 dead and 251 people taken hostage.
According to Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry, at least 67,869 Palestinians have died since the conflict began.