Hamas says to hand over bodies of 2 Israelis tonight

GAZA -- Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, announced that it would hand over the bodies of two Israeli hostages on Tuesday night.

In a brief statement Tuesday afternoon, the group said it would deliver "the bodies of two Israeli hostages recovered today in the Gaza Strip at 9 pm local time (1800 GMT)," as part of the ongoing exchange agreement. No further details were provided regarding their identities or the locations where they were found.

Khalil al-Hayya, Hamas's chief negotiator, said in a press statement that the group remains committed to "retrieving the remains of all Israeli captives," acknowledging the "great difficulty in recovering the bodies" but emphasizing that efforts continue.

Israel has accused Hamas of moving too slowly in returning the bodies of deceased hostages. At the same time, Hamas has repeatedly stated that locating some of the remains amid the widespread destruction in Gaza will take time.

Since the ceasefire agreement took effect on Oct 10, Hamas has released 20 living Israeli hostages and handed over 13 of the 28 bodies it is required to return, while Israel has freed nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and returned the bodies of 165 Palestinians.