Forensic tests showed the remains were those of Amiram Cooper, 84, and Sahar Baruch, 25, the Israeli prime minister's office said. "The government of Israel shares in the deep sorrow of the Cooper and [Baruch] families and all the families of the fallen hostages," it said in a statement. The Hostages and Missing Families Forum in Israel demanded that all 11 Israeli and foreign deceased hostages still in Gaza be returned immediately by Hamas in line with the US-brokered ceasefire agreement.

Amiram Cooper was abducted along with his wife, Nurit, from Kibbutz Nir Oz during the Hamas-led attack on Israel on 7 October 2023, which sparked the war. Hamas released Nurit after 17 days, but it continued to hold Amiram. The Israeli military said it estimated Amiram was murdered in captivity in February 2024, but that final conclusions will be made upon completion of a post-mortem.

It had previously said he was killed along with three other hostages - Nadav Popplewell, Chaim Peri and Yoram Metzger - in Khan Younis while troops were operating in the area. Hamas had claimed they were killed by an Israeli strike. Sahar Baruch was kidnapped during the attack on Kibbutz Be'eri by Hamas gunmen, who also killed his brother, Edan, and grandmother, Geula Bachar. The Israeli military said it estimated that he was murdered in captivity on 8 December 2023, and that it was awaiting the results of a post-mortem. It had previously announced that he was killed during a rescue attempt by Israeli forces. (BBC)