The body of a hostage handed over by the Palestinian group Hamas under the terms of the Gaza peace agreement has been identified as German-Israeli national Tamir Nimrodi.
The Forum for Hostages and Missing Families said the soldier was one of four bodies included in a second wave of Hamas returns on Tuesday, three of which had been identified.
Nimrodi was kidnapped in the Israeli border region during the October 7, 2023 attacks that sparked the war in the Gaza Strip.
The 20-year-old reportedly voluntarily swapped duty over the weekend with another soldier.
According to the forum, Nimrodi died as a result of Israeli bombing during his captivity.
His mother Herut has met with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in recent months to campaign for the release of the remaining hostages.
According to the ceasefire agreement reached in Egypt last week, Hamas must hand over a total of 28 bodies. The 20 living hostages were released on Monday after 738 days of captivity.
The return of four more bodies on Tuesday leaves 20 dead hostages in the hands of the militant group.
Hamas said it was having difficulty finding remains under the rubble after two years of war in the Gaza Strip.
According to media reports, Israel believes this is a delaying tactic and has threatened to limit humanitarian aid supplies to the Gaza Strip and keep the Rafah border crossing with Egypt closed until all the bodies of the hostages are transferred.
However, Israeli broadcaster Kan reported that the border crossing would be reopened and aid would be allowed in after Hamas said four more bodies would be returned on Wednesday.
