Israel receives bodies of four hostages held by Hamas in Gaza

 Hamas has handed over the bodies of Israeli hostages for the first time as part of the Gaza ceasefire deal

• The armed group says the bodies include those of a mother, Shiri Bibas, and her two young sons, who were aged nine months and four years when they were abducted

• A heavy blanket of grief has descended over Israel today, our correspondent Paul Adams writes

  
  
  

• Hamas claims the three Bibas family members were killed in an Israeli strike more than a year ago, without providing evidence. The BBC hasn't been able to independently verify this, and Israel says it will not confirm their deaths before forensic testing

• The fourth body is that of Oded Lifschitz, 84, a veteran peace activist, the group says.

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