Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon on Tuesday said his country was working to retrieve the remains of two troops killed in last year's military offensive against the Gaza Strip.

Speaking to the Israeli radio, Yaalon said that the government's efforts were underway to retrieve the remains of Oron Shaul and Hadar Goldin from the Gaza Strip, going on to accuse Hamas of holding the slain soldiers' remains.

Israel has officially said the two soldiers were presumed dead.

Hamas, for its part, has refused to comment on their status.

Yaalon's remarks came after a Hamas source told the group's Al-Aqsa television station that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should "check his soldiers" and "stop misleading the families of missing soldiers."

The offensive, which ended with an indefinite truce between Israel and Palestinian factions after 51 days of relentless bombardment, also left 73 Israelis dead, mostly soldiers.