GAZA, Nov. 4 (Xinhua) -- The armed wing of Hamas, the al-Qassam Brigades, said on Tuesday that its fighters had found the remains of an Israeli soldier in Gaza City's Shejaiya neighborhood and were preparing to hand them over to Israel.
In a statement, al-Qassam said its members discovered the body "during ongoing excavation and search operations inside the yellow zone" in eastern Shejaiya, and that arrangements were underway to transfer it to Israel.
The group said the entry of engineering equipment and the presence of International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) teams, escorted by al-Qassam members, had "significantly contributed to the rapid recovery of the bodies."
Eyewitnesses said masked al-Qassam fighters carrying light weapons entered Shejaiya early on Tuesday alongside ICRC teams to search for the remains of Israeli soldiers.
Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem said separately that the movement was continuing efforts to hand over the remains of Israeli captives "despite challenges and obstacles," and aimed to complete the exchange process as soon as possible. ■
