Israel hands over 30 more Palestinian remains to Gaza in ceasefire exchange

Israel has handed over the remains of 30 additional Palestinians to Gaza under an ongoing exchange deal facilitated by a US-brokered ceasefire, hospital officials confirmed.

The bodies belonged to Palestinians who died while imprisoned in Israel, though the circumstances of their deaths remain unclear, Caliber.Az reports, citing foreign media.

The remains were delivered to the Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis by the Red Cross following their handover by Israel, continuing the established procedure for previous exchanges. The hospital said, “The bodies of 30 Palestinian prisoners were received from the Israeli side as part of the exchange deal.”

Under the terms of the October 10 ceasefire plan, Israel is to return the remains of 15 Palestinians for every deceased Israeli hostage returned by Hamas. October 31 transfer brings the total number of Palestinian bodies returned to Gaza to 225.

Since the ceasefire, Hamas has returned 20 surviving hostages captured during its October 7, 2023 assault on Israel. The group has also begun returning the bodies of 28 deceased hostages previously reported missing, though progress has been slow, fueling frustration and anger among Israeli officials and families of the hostages.

Hamas has so far returned 15 bodies identified as Israeli hostages, along with the remains of two foreign workers—a Thai and a Nepalese—taken in the October 7 attack. In addition, partial remains of a previously recovered Israeli hostage and an unidentified body not listed among the 28 missing have been returned.

According to reports, 10 bodies of hostages from October 7 are believed to remain in Gaza, along with one additional individual missing since 2014. All are Israeli, except for one Tanzanian and one Thai.

The Israeli government has accused Hamas of violating the truce, while families of the hostages have called for stricter measures to ensure compliance. Hamas maintains its commitment to the ceasefire but says locating the remaining bodies has been difficult due to two years of Israeli bombardments, which have destroyed landmarks in Gaza.

Egyptian recovery teams, equipped with earth-moving machinery, have joined efforts to locate the missing bodies, underscoring the ongoing humanitarian and logistical challenges of the exchange.

By Vafa Guliyeva