The Hamas terror organization on Sunday evening turned over what it claims are the remains of three hostages to representatives of the International Red Cross. The bodies were then transferred to Israeli authorities, who are working to determine their identities.

If confirmed, this would mean that eight hostages who were killed in captivity still remain in Gaza. Israeli officials have cautioned that Hamas has in the past returned bodies that did not match the identities of hostages being held.

According to a statement released by Hamas, the bodies were discovered earlier Sunday in a tunnel in southern Gaza. The terror group published a photo showing one body bag labeled with the name of a known hostage, while the other two were not identified.

The Red Cross took possession of the remains in Gaza and handed them over to IDF personnel, who transported them to Israel for examination at the Abu Kabir Forensic Institute in Tel Aviv.

Just days earlier, Hamas returned the bodies of two other hostages — Amiram Cooper, 84, and Sahar Baruch, 25 — who were identified shortly after arrival and laid to rest on Sunday.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)