Israel has handed over the remains of 45 Palestinians to authorities in the Gaza Strip, a senior official confirmed on Tuesday.
A spokesperson for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) also confirmed the development, stating that the humanitarian body facilitated the transfer to representatives of the Hamas-run administration in Gaza.
> “We assisted in the handover of the bodies to employees of the authorities in Gaza,” the ICRC spokeswoman said.
The exchange reportedly took place on Monday, just one day after Israel received the remains of three of its citizens who had been held hostage.
According to the terms of a ceasefire agreement reached in October, both sides consented to exchange the bodies of deceased individuals. Under the arrangement, Israel is expected to return the remains of 15 Palestinians for every Israeli hostage’s body handed over by Hamas.
The specific causes of death for the Palestinians remain unclear, though reports suggest their bodies had been kept at an Israeli military facility.
Hamas had earlier freed all surviving Israeli hostages on October 13 as part of the truce, which also saw hundreds of Palestinian prisoners released in return.
However, the repatriation of deceased hostages has progressed more slowly than anticipated.
Israeli officials say that the bodies of eight hostages remain in Gaza—seven of whom were kidnapped during the October 7, 2023, Hamas assault on Israel. Among them are five Israelis, including one with dual German citizenship, as well as two foreign nationals from Thailand and Tanzania.
Israel is also still working to recover the remains of an Israeli soldier whose body has been held in Gaza since 2014.
(Reuters/NAN)
