TEL AVIV – On Tuesday, Israeli authorities announced they had identified the remains of a hostage released by Palestinian militants overnight. Meanwhile, a senior negotiator for the militant group asserted Hamas’s commitment to upholding the ceasefire agreement with Israel.

U.S. Vice President JD Vance is scheduled to visit the region on Tuesday, aiming to reinforce the tenuous ceasefire that has shown signs of instability in recent days.

The Israeli government confirmed the release of Tal Haimi’s body by Hamas. Haimi, who was killed on October 7, 2023, had been abducted from Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak, located near the Gaza border. The 42-year-old was a fourth-generation resident of the kibbutz and served on its emergency response team. He leaves behind four children, including one born after the attack.

Under the current ceasefire terms, Israel is awaiting the return of the remains of 15 more hostages. Since the start of the ceasefire, 13 bodies have been handed over.

Following recent exchanges of fire, Hamas negotiators reaffirmed their dedication to ensuring that hostilities come to a permanent end.

“From the day we signed the Sharm el-Sheikh agreement, we were determined and committed to seeing it through to the end,” Hamas chief negotiator Khalil al-Hayya, who is in Cairo, told Egypt’s Al-Qahera News television late Monday.

He said the Sharm el-Sheikh summit, hosted by Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi and U.S. President Donald Trump, represented “an international will declaring the war in Gaza is over.”

Al-Hayya said Hamas received assurances from mediators and Trump that “give us confidence that the war has ended for good.”

He said Israel has complied with aid deliveries in the crossings according to the agreement but asked mediators to pressure Israel to deliver more shelter, medical supplies and winterization items before the weather changes.

On Sunday, Israel’s military said militants had fired at troops, killing two Israeli soldiers in areas of Rafah in southern Gaza that are Israeli-controlled according to agreed-upon ceasefire lines.

Retaliatory strikes by Israel killed 45 Palestinians, according to the territory’s Health Ministry, which says a total of 80 people have been killed since the ceasefire took effect.

Similar strikes occurred on Monday in Gaza City and Khan Younis, where Israel said militants had crossed the yellow ceasefire line and posed an “immediate threat” to its troops.

The Israeli military said Monday it was using concrete barriers and painted poles to more clearly delineate the so-called yellow line in Gaza where troops have withdrawn to. It said several instances of violence have occurred.

Also on Tuesday, Qatar, a key mediator in the ceasefire, denounced Israel in a speech by its ruling emir. Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani said his nation would continue to serve as a mediator as a ceasefire holds in the Gaza Strip.

Sheikh Tamim specifically called Israel out for its “continued breaches of the ceasefire” in Gaza, as well as its expansion of settlements in the West Bank.

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Magdy reported from Cairo. Associated Press writer Jon Gambrell contributed from Dubai, UAE.