JERUSALEM — Hamas turned over what it said were the remains of four Israeli hostages to the Red Cross early today, according to the Israeli military, in the last such handover planned for the initial stage of a fragile ceasefire with Israel.

Hamas’ military wing Wednesday afternoon named the four Israelis as Ohad Yahalomi, Itzhak Elgarat, Shlomo Mansour and Tsachi Idan. Israel did not immediately comment.

Israeli health authorities said that forensic specialists would attempt to identify the remains in the four coffins at the Kerem Shalom crossing, the southernmost point between Israel and the Gaza Strip. Afterward, Palestinian prisoners originally set to be released last Saturday are expected to be freed, the Israeli military said. But the timing was unclear.

The latest release comes as the first phase of the truce, which began in January, draws to a close after 42 days. It was unclear whether serious negotiations on the second phase of the agreement have even begun.

Israel and Hamas were supposed to start talks by the 16th day of the ceasefire. But there has been little sign of progress despite pressure from U.S., Qatari and Egyptian mediators, who had hoped any truce would be extended into a more comprehensive resolution to the conflict.

During the first phase, Hamas was to free 25 Israeli hostages and hand over the bodies of eight others in exchange for more than 1,500 Palestinians jailed by Israel. On Saturday, the armed Palestinian group released the last living captives for this stage. Four deceased hostages were also repatriated last week.

But Israel delayed the release of 620 Palestinian prisoners as part of the exchange until Hamas committed to stopping what Israel called “humiliating ceremonies” during the handoffs. Armed and masked members of Hamas have been releasing the hostages in highly choreographed displays of force and power in front of crowds in Gaza.

Late Tuesday, Hamas announced that a deal had been reached for the simultaneous release of the Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the remains of the four Israelis. They were among about 250 people taken hostage during the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on Israel that killed about 1,200 others and ignited the war in Gaza.

The office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel said mediators had guaranteed that Hamas would hand over the coffins without another release ceremony.

Some of the Palestinian prisoners listed for release were convicted of deadly attacks against Israelis. Others — including minors — were arrested without formal charges after Israeli forces swept through Gaza during a ground invasion.

Relatives of the prisoners began gathering in the West Bank city of Ramallah earlier Wednesday. Some had waited in vain for hours last weekend in the occupied territory, when Israel announced it was holding back some of the scheduled prisoner releases.