Hamas had previously identified the bodies as those of Tsachi Idan, Itzhak Elgarat, Ohad Yahalomi and Shlomo Mantzur, all of whom were abducted during the Oct 7, 2023 attack from their kibbutz homes near Gaza, Reuters reports.
The bodies were undergoing initial identification in Israeli territory and official notice would be given to the hostages’ families once the process is complete, Netanyahu’s office said in a statement.
A full forensic examination to determine cause of death for the final four bodies returned to Israel will come later, according to the Israeli health ministry.