Israel's defense minister said Wednesday that troops have recovered the bodies of one hostage from Gaza and is verifying another possible body.

The Israeli military said that it had retrieved the body of a hostage who had been held in the Gaza Strip, as the Biden administration struggles to secure a cease-fire deal that would bring home dozens of hostages.

Israel believes a third of the remaining hostages are dead, while a number have been previously freed through negotiated deals. However, Yosef and Hamzah Al Zaydani were believed to still be alive and their bodies’ return could ramp up the pressure on Israel to move ahead on a deal.

The deal would secure release of a third of the approximately 100 hostages who remain in Gaza, including two dual U.S.-Israeli nationals. In return, Israel would release some Palestinian prisoners.

The Israeli military says its troops have found the body of a Bedouin Arab hostage held by Hamas in Gaza, as well as evidence that suggests another may also be dead. The body of Yousef Zyadna, 53, was recovered from an underground tunnel in the southern Rafah area on Tuesday.

The Israeli military said Wednesday that troops have recovered the body of a hostage held in Gaza and were examining whether another body recovered was also that of a captive. Earlier, Israel's defense minister said that troops recovered the bodies of two hostages.