JERUSALEM, Oct. 26 (Xinhua) -- Red Cross and Egyptian teams have been allowed to enter the Gaza Strip to search for the bodies of hostages, Israeli government spokesperson Shosh Bedrosian said on Sunday.

Speaking at a news briefing, Bedrosian said Israel had permitted the teams to move beyond the "yellow line," which marks the Israeli army's withdrawal zone under the current ceasefire agreement, to assist in the recovery effort.

She said Hamas has not yet returned the bodies of 13 hostages. Under the agreement, Hamas is required to hand over the remains of 28 deceased hostages, in addition to the 20 living hostages it had released earlier this month.

The remark came as Hamas said it was expanding its search for the bodies of the dead hostages, a day after an Egyptian team of experts entered Gaza with heavy equipment to assist in the recovery. ■