Hamas has faced condemnation for its handover ceremony in Gaza, where four coffins were presented on stage, accompanied by banners and slogans critical of Israel.
The process of formally identifying the remains of the hostages is underway, with great grandfather Oded Lifshitz’s family saying he has been confirmed as among them.
What's next?
Another six living hostages will be freed by Hamas on Saturday, along with many more Palestinians held in Israeli jails.
The bodies of mother Shiri Bibas and her two young sons, Ariel and Kfir were released by the militant group on Thursday morning local time, along with the remains of former journalist and peace activist Oded Lifshitz.
The four were presented in black coffins to the International Red Cross in Khan Younis, in the war-ravaged strip's south, where they were then driven back to Israel.
Before balaclava-wearing Hamas militants presented them to humanitarians, the coffins sat on a podium in front of banners and posters accusing Israel of their death.
One of the banners depicted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a vampire, looming over the four dead hostages — with the words "the war criminal Netanyahu and his Nazi Army killed them with missiles from Zionist warplanes".
Another poster depicted a Hamas militant standing over coffins draped in the Israeli flag, with the slogan "the return of war = the return of your prisoners in coffins".
In a statement, United Nations Human Rights Volker Turk slammed Hamas' display.
"Under international law, any handover of the remains of deceased must comply with the prohibition of cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, ensuring respect for the dignity of the deceased and their families," he said.
Israel's government has also condemned the handover ceremony.
