The 19-year-old's remains were handed over on Tuesday as part of a Gaza ceasefire deal brokered by US President Donald Trump last month. "Following the completion of the identification process... (Israel Defense Forces) representatives informed the family of the fallen hostage, Staff Sergeant Itay Chen, that their loved one has been returned to Israel and positively identified," the Israeli prime minister's office said. Earlier, Hamas's military wing said it had recovered the body of an Israeli soldier in the eastern Shejaiya neighbourhood of Gaza City.

Israel had allowed members of the Palestinian armed group and Red Cross staff to search for the remains in the area, which is inside territory still controlled by Israeli forces. Staff Sgt Chen was serving as a soldier in the IDF's 7th Brigade when Hamas-led gunmen attacked southern Israel on 7 October 2023. The IDF said he was killed inside a tank during a battle in Kibbutz Nir Oz and that his body was taken to Gaza as a hostage by Hamas.

"The remains of Itay Chen, a young American taken hostage by Hamas at just 19 years old, have finally returned home. We honour his life, mourn his loss, and stand with his family," US Secretary of State Marco Rubio wrote on X. The Hostages and Missing Families Forum in Israel welcomed his return but also stressed that there were seven deceased hostages still in Gaza. "Please don't stop until they are all back home. Until the last hostage," it said.

Wednesday morning, Nasser hospital in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis said it had received the bodies of another 15 dead Palestinians from Israel via the Red Cross. For each dead Israeli hostage returned, Israel has agreed to hand over the remains of 15 Palestinians. But with no DNA testing available in Gaza, it is hard to identify them. (BBC)