Hamas to hand over more remains as Israel allows re-opening of Rafah crossing

Israeli authorities say the Rafah crossing will re-open (Jehad Alshrafi/AP)

Hamas said it would hand over the remains of a hostage as Israel announced it will start letting Palestinians leave Gaza through the Rafah border crossing, signs the US-backed ceasefire was holding despite an earlier issue over returned remains.

Hamas said it would return the newly discovered remains on Wednesday, but it was not immediately clear to whom they belonged. Only two hostages are believed to remain in Gaza and the first phase of the deal is supposed to end when both are returned.