Remains of American Israeli hostage among 3 bodies returned by Hamas, IDF says

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office issued a statement accusing Hamas of a "clear violation" of the Gaza ceasefire agreement, after Israeli authorities identified hostage remains returned on Monday as belonging to a deceased hostage previously recovered from the strip in 2023.

The returns received by Israeli authorities on Monday belonged to Ofir Tzarfati, according to the statement published by the prime minister's official X account on Tuesday. Tzarfati was wounded and abducted during Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attack.

Tzarfati died in captivity and his body was recovered from Gaza by the Israel Defense Forces in late 2023.

"This is a clear violation of the agreement by the terrorist organization Hamas," Netanyahu's office said.

The prime minister "will hold a security discussion with the heads of the defense establishment, in which they will discuss Israel's steps in the face of the violations," it added.

Tzarfati's family released a statement confirming his remains were returned on Monday. The statement accused Hamas of "an abhorrent manipulation designed to sabotage the deal and abandon the effort to bring all the hostages home."

-ABC News' Jordana Miller and Othon Leyva

A coffin has been transferred to the Israel Defense Forces and Shin Bet forces inside of Gaza from the Red Cross, the Israeli Prime Minister's Office said in a release on Monday.

The IDF will take the coffin to Israel where it will then be taken to the National Institute of Forensic Medicine for identification.

The Red Cross received the coffin from Hamas at the designated meeting point inside Gaza and then transferred it to IDF troops inside Gaza.

-ABC News' Jordana Miller

Since the ceasefire went into effect on Oct. 10, 470,000 movements of people have been recorded from southern Gaza to northern Gaza, according to the United Nation's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, U.N. Spokesperson for the Secretary General Stephane Dujarric said on Monday.

"Families are trying to return to their destroyed homes, though many structures are unstable and unexploded ordnance poses a risk. Our partners tell us that water, food and essential services are still desperately needed," Dujarric said during his daily press briefing in New York on Monday.

Between Friday and Saturday, 300 trucks of aid were collected from the Gaza side of the Kerem Shalom/Karem Abu Salem crossing, according to Dujarric.

"The aid in these trucks included thousands of pallets of wheat flour, supplies for hot meals, canned food as well as rice," he said.

Diapers, jerrycans, hundreds of pallets of health supplies including medical equipment and medicine, as well as tarps, tents and winter clothes also entered Gaza, Dujarric noted.

The U.N. Office for Project Services distributed about 329,000 liters of diesel on Sunday, Dujarric added.

More than one million hot meals were delivered as of Sunday, Dujarric said.

Dujarric added that 15 bakeries supported by the U.N. are now operating and producing "thousands" of loaves of bread in Deir al Balah, Khan Younis and Gaza City.

-ABC News' Ellie Kaufman

Hamas announced that the body of a hostage will be handed over to the Red Cross at 9 p.m. local time on Monday.

Two Israeli sources confirmed that the country is preparing to receive the remains of a hostage on Monday evening.

The bodies of 15 hostages have been returned to Israel since the start of the ceasefire on Oct. 10, with 13 bodies remaining in Gaza.

-ABC News' Jordana Miller and Nasser Atta