Israel said the remains it received on Sunday from Hamas were those of Lieutenant Hadar Goldin, an Israeli officer killed more than a decade ago in the 2014 Gaza war.

Goldin was the 24th deceased hostage whose remains have been returned by Hamas since the start of the ceasefire on October 10 that has halted the latest war in Gaza, which broke out in October 2023.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said forensic experts had confirmed the remains were of Goldin.

"Today, we are united in having finally brought him back to his parents and his family to be laid to rest in Israel," Netanyahu said in a video statement posted on X, holding a photograph of Goldin.

The return of Goldin's remains in particular marked a deeply symbolic moment for Israel – where the military's creed of leaving no soldier behind is treated as sacred – closing a painful 11-year chapter that has haunted both his family and the nation.

Several friends of Goldin's family and his former comrades had gathered at the forensic centre where his remains were verified.

Hamas's armed wing, the Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades, handed over the remains earlier on Sunday, saying it had found them in a tunnel in Rafah the day before.

Goldin's body had been held in Gaza since his death. Until now, Hamas had never acknowledged his death nor possession of his remains.

Israeli media reported on Saturday that Israel had allowed Hamas and Red Cross personnel to search in an area under Israeli control in Rafah to locate Goldin's remains.

Goldin, 23, was part of an Israeli unit tasked with locating and destroying Hamas tunnels when he was killed on August 1, 2014, just hours after a 72-hour humanitarian ceasefire took effect. (AFP)