Israel on Tuesday said it had received remains handed over by Palestinian militants in Gaza to the Red Cross. They were believed to be one of the two hostages still in the territory: an Israeli and a Thai national.

Israel says the crucial Rafah crossing with Egypt will open in the coming days, but only for Palestinians to exit Gaza.

The remains, which Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad say were found in northern Gaza, will be taken to Tel Aviv for forensic tests.

Israel says it has launched an air strike in southern Gaza in retaliation for an attack by militants earlier in the day that wounded five Israeli soldiers. The air strikes on Wednesday were the latest test for a fragile ceasefire that has mostly held since early October, despite claims of violations by Israel and Hamas.

Israeli forces have killed at least four Palestinians and wounded several others across Gaza despite a six-week ceasefire, as a Palestinian armed group announced recovering the body of another captive in the war-torn territory.

Israel's military on Saturday said it launched airstrikes against Hamas terrorists in Gaza in the latest test of the ceasefire that began on Oct. 10. Health officials in Gaza reported at least 14 people killed and another 45 wounded, including children.

Israel said it launched an airstrike on a Hamas militant in southern Gaza late Wednesday in retaliation for an attack earlier in the day that wounded five Israeli soldiers.