By Nidal al-Mughrabi and Steven Scheer
CAIRO/JERUSALEM, Dec 2 (Reuters) - Palestinian militant group Hamas said it was handing over the remains of one of the two last hostage bodies still in Gaza on Tuesday.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said in a statement that its forces in Gaza have received what it described as "findings" that would be taken into Israel for forensic testing.
The two remaining deceased hostages are Israeli police officer Ran Gvili and Thai national Sudthisak Rinthalak, both kidnapped during Hamas' October 7, 2023 attack on Israel.
The Red Cross has acted as an intermediary between Gaza militant groups and Israel throughout the war triggered by Hamas' attack, helping facilitate the release of hostages and handover of remains.
Earlier, an Israeli airstrike killed a Palestinian man, whom local health authorities identified as freelance journalist Mahmoud Wadi, in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip.
A senior Israeli military official told Reuters that Wadi had taken part in Hamas' October 2023 attack, citing photos. Reuters was not immediately able to independently verify the official's account.
Another Palestinian journalist was wounded in the Israeli strike, Gaza authorities said.
Violence has reduced since an October 10 ceasefire, but Israel has continued to strike Gaza and conduct demolitions against what it says is Hamas infrastructure. Hamas and Israel have traded blame for violating the U.S.-backed agreement.
At least 357 Palestinians have been killed since the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas went into effect, Gazan health authorities say. Palestinian militants killed three Israeli soldiers in this time, Israeli authorities said.
The Committee to Protect Journalists has said it has documented 201 journalists and media workers killed in Gaza, Israel and Lebanon, where the war spilled over shortly after the initial attack in 2023.
Among those killed were journalists working for Reuters. The count includes 193 Palestinians killed by Israel in Gaza, six killed by Israel in Lebanon, and two Israelis killed in the October 7 attack.
The CPJ said Israel has never published the results of a formal investigation or held anyone accountable in the killings of journalists by its military. An IDF spokesperson said the military has targeted only combatants and military sites, avoided civilians and journalists, and warned that staying in active combat zones carries inherent risks despite efforts to minimize harm.
It has alleged at times, without providing verifiable evidence, that some journalists were killed because of their links to Hamas, which their news organisations denied.
(Additional reporting by Alexander Cornwell; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne and Alex Richardson)
