Israeli officials on Tuesday confirmed the deaths of two hostages whose remains were returned to Israel on Monday. The remains of Guy Iluz and Bipin Joshi were among the four deceased hostages who were transferred back to Israel on Tuesday, the Israel Defense Forces said on social media.

Separately, forensic experts in Gaza on Wednesday started identifying 45 bodies of Palestinians that Israel handed over to the Red Cross the previous day without identification.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said Monday that he will not attend a summit in Egypt later today on the Israel-Hamas war due to a Jewish holiday.

While major questions remain about the future of Hamas and Gaza, the exchange of hostages and prisoners marked a key step toward ending the deadliest war ever between Israel and the militant group.

The Palestinian news agency Wafa reported that six people were killed when Israeli drones fired on residents inspecting their homes in the Shuja’iyyah neighbourhood to the east of Gaza City. The Israeli military said its troops had opened fire after “several” Palestinians approached the so-called yellow line,

Israel will open the Rafah crossing as planned today in a U-turn after Hamas returned the bodies of four more hostages, according to reports.