Israel has returned 30 more bodies of Palestinians to Gaza as part of an ongoing exchange arrangement under a US-brokered ceasefire plan, according to reports from the Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Yunis. The complex confirmed that the bodies were received from the Israeli side as part of this exchange initiative.
The terms of the ceasefire dictate that Israel repatriates the remains of 15 Palestinians for every Israeli hostage returned by Hamas. With the latest transfer, the total number of bodies returned to Gaza has reached 225.
The Red Cross facilitated this transfer, delivering the bodies to the Nasser Medical Complex after their handover from Israeli authorities, consistent with previous exchanges under the agreed terms.
As part of the ceasefire accord established on October 10, Hamas has already released 20 surviving hostages taken during its assault on Israel on October 7, 2023. In addition, Hamas has also begun the process of returning the bodies of 28 deceased hostages who have been reported missing, although this process has been slower than anticipated, leading to growing frustration among Israeli officials and families of the hostages.
To date, Hamas has sent back 15 bodies identified as Israeli hostages, as well as the remains of two foreign workers—one from Thailand and another from Nepal—who were captured during the October 7 attack. Additionally, there have been returns of partial remains of another Israeli hostage and an unidentified body that had not been previously accounted for among the missing.
Currently, 10 bodies of October 7 hostages are thought to remain in Gaza, alongside another unidentified body missing since 2014; all but one are Israeli nationals, with the exceptions of a Tanzanian and a Thai individual.
The Israeli government has accused Hamas of violating the ceasefire agreement, and families of the hostages have been vocal in calling for tougher measures against the group to ensure compliance. In response, Hamas asserts its commitment to the ceasefire, yet it faces challenges in locating the remaining deceased due to the extensive damage caused by two years of Israeli bombardments, which have erased many recognizable landmarks in Gaza.
In an effort to assist in the recovery of the remaining bodies, Egyptian recovery teams have been deployed to the area, equipped with earth-moving machinery to help in the search.
