Gaza, MINA – Gaza’s Health Ministry announced on Wednesday that it had received the remains of 30 more Palestinians transferred by Israel under the ongoing ceasefire agreement, with several bodies showing evidence of abuse, according to Anadolu Agency.
In a statement, the ministry said the bodies were handed over through the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). “Several bodies showed clear signs of abuse, including beatings, bound hands, and blindfolded eyes,” it stated.
The latest transfer brings the total number of bodies returned by Israel since Oct. 14 to 195, of which only 57 have been identified. Families have struggled to identify victims using physical marks or clothing, as Gaza’s years-long blockade and the destruction of laboratories have made forensic testing impossible.
Earlier in the day, the Gaza government held a funeral procession for 54 Palestinians whose remains were returned by Israel but could not be identified due to severe disfigurement reportedly caused by torture.
Also Read: UNRWA: Over 61 Million Tons of Debris Cover Gaza After Two Years of Israeli War
Before the ceasefire took effect, Israel held 735 Palestinian bodies, according to the Palestinian National Campaign to Retrieve Martyrs’ Bodies. The Israeli newspaper Haaretz also reported that the army is detaining around 1,500 bodies of Palestinians from Gaza at the Sde Teiman military base in southern Israel.
The ceasefire agreement, mediated by regional and international parties, began on Oct. 10. Its first phase involved the exchange of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners and a partial Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. The plan also envisions Gaza’s reconstruction and the establishment of a new governing body without Hamas.
Since October 2023, Israel’s military aggression in Gaza has killed more than 68,200 people and injured over 170,300, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.[]
Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)
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