Israel Katz: Hamas release of four dead Israeli hostages 'failure to meet requirements'

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz has said in response to Hamas's anouncement that it would hand over the remains of four Israeli captives that the move is a "failure to meet requirements".

"Any delay or deliberate avoidance will be considered a gross violation of the agreement and will be responded to accordingly," Katz said in a post on X.

Under the terms of the ceasefire agreement, all 48 Israeli captives are to be released within 72 hours of the Israeli army's redeployment. Hamas released all 20 living Israeli captives on Monday, and is yet to release the remains of 28 dead captives.

Hamas previously indicated that recovering the bodies of some dead hostages may take longer, as not all burial sites are known.

Reporting by Reuters