On Wednesday, Israel announced that the "findings" retrieved from Gaza do not correspond to either of the hostages taken during Hamas' 2023 assault who are still in Gaza.

This presents yet another obstacle to the tenuous ceasefire. According to Palestinian media, the materials handed over on Tuesday were discovered in Beit Lahiya, a northern town in Gaza.

The Prime Minister's Office issued a statement indicating that forensic analysis had been conducted and confirmed that the findings were not associated with the deceased hostages.

Hamas has not yet provided a response regarding the recent handover. With the remains of two hostages, one Israeli and one Thai national, still in Gaza, both parties are nearing the conclusion of the initial phase of the U.S.-mediated ceasefire.

Since the ceasefire commenced in early October, twenty living hostages and the remains of twenty-six others have been returned to Israel.

These returns are a crucial component of the terms of a fragile agreement, which both Hamas and Israel have accused each other of violating.