The body of Israeli hostage Shiri Bibas has been returned, her family has confirmed.
The remains were released by Hamas overnight and Israel's army radio earlier said they had been identified as the Israeli mother-of-two.
Israel said on Thursday that Ms Bibas was not among the four bodies handed over as part of the ceasefire agreement.
An "anonymous body without identification" was received instead.
The failure to hand over the correct body caused outrage in Israel, and prompted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to vow that Hamas "pays the full price for this cruel and evil violation".
Families and their supporters carry large photos depicting women held hostage by Hamas. May 8, 2024. At centre is Shiri Bibas with her child, Kfir; at left is Noa Argamani. (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo)Hamas previously claimed there was the "possibility of an error or overlap in the bodies" which may have been caused by Israel "targeting and bombing the place where the family was with other Palestinians".
Basem Naim, a member of the Hamas political bureau, later said "unfortunate mistakes" occurred and also suggested Israeli bombing had mixed the bodies of Israeli hostages and Palestinians.
He added in a statement: "We confirm that it is not in our values or our interest to keep any bodies or not to abide by the covenants and agreements that we sign."
Hostage release
Ms Bibas was kidnapped with her sons during the Hamas terror attack on Israel in October 2023.
The IDF confirmed the bodies of the two boys were positively identified on Thursday.
It claimed the children had been murdered by Hamas with "bare hands".
Hamas however has claimed Ms Bibas and her children were all killed in an Israeli airstrike in November 2023, near the start of the war.
This comes ahead of the next round of hostage releases later today - the final one during the first six-week phase of the ceasefire agreement, which came into effect last month.
Reporting via IRN.
Main image: Posters of Shiri Bibas, centre, and her sons Ariel, left, and Kfir, right, who were taken hostage by Hamas militants on Oct. 7, 2023, are displayed on empty chairs in Jerusalem, Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo)
