Israel has received the body of Lt Hadar Goldin, a soldier killed in an ambush by Hamas in 2014 and whose body has been held in Gaza since then.
The Israeli military said Lt Goldin, who was 23 when he died, was formally identified and will now be buried. He left behind parents, a sister, two brothers, and a fiancée.
Hamas's armed wing had said on Sunday that it would hand over Lt Goldin's body as part of a ceasefire deal.
Hamas has now returned all 20 living hostages, and 24 out of 28 deceased hostages under the first phase of the deal.
On Sunday, Lt Goldin's father Simcha Goldin said in a statement: Victory means bringing home the hostages and bringing home our soldiers to Israel.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Isaac Herzog both said they had kept a picture of Lt Goldin in their offices for the past 11 years. Netanyahu remarked, We didn't give up on bringing him home.
Netanyahu noted the family’s pain, saying, I know the agony that his family's been through... we are united in bringing him finally to his parents, to his family, to a grave in Israel.
Efforts to retrieve Lt Goldin involved extensive intelligence efforts alongside operational activities on the ground over the past decade, according to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).
The military expressed deep condolences to the family and continues to make efforts to return all deceased hostages while being prepared for the continued implementation of the agreement.
Of the four hostages remaining in Gaza, three are Israeli and one is Thai.
Lt Goldin, from Kfar Saba, is the only deceased hostage whose remains were being held in Gaza before the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, which sparked the latest war.
He was killed during combat on August 1, 2014, shortly after the start of a ceasefire in that year's conflict. Lt Goldin was part of a patrol in southern Gaza when they were attacked.
The Israeli military determined that Lt Goldin was killed along with two other soldiers and that his body was dragged into an underground tunnel by Hamas fighters.
In response, the Israeli military unleashed significant firepower, resulting in civilian casualties during the bombardment that lasted for four days.
Nine years later, the military launched another campaign in Gaza in response to the Hamas-led attack.
Since that attack, it has been reported that over 69,000 people have died in Gaza due to Israeli attacks.
As part of a ceasefire agreement, Israel freed 250 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the return of Lt Goldin and others.
Both sides have agreed on increased aid to Gaza, a partial Israeli withdrawal, and a temporary halt to hostilities despite ongoing clashes.
