Officials at Gaza's Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis confirmed the receipt of 15 more Palestinian bodies on Wednesday, returned by Israeli authorities through the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). This latest delivery marks the tenth such batch under the US-brokered ceasefire agreement, bringing the total number of Palestinian remains repatriated for burial to 285. The hospital serves as the central point for receiving these bodies, where health officials note that identifying the remains is profoundly difficult due to a widespread lack of DNA testing kits, forcing families to rely on physical markings or clothing.
The return of these bodies has been accompanied by serious allegations from Palestinian authorities. The Gaza Health Ministry has reported that many of the bodies returned by Israel show signs of abuse and mistreatment. A Palestinian forensics team examining the remains has cited evidence of beatings, bound hands, blindfolds, and facial disfigurement. The bodies are often returned without names, adding to the anguish of families seeking to locate their missing relatives. This practice is linked to the holding of Palestinian remains in what human rights groups refer to as "cemeteries of numbers," with reports indicating that the Israeli army has held about 1,500 bodies of Palestinians from Gaza at the Sde Teiman military base.
The process of recovering the bodies of Israeli hostages in Gaza has been a central point of contention. Hamas has consistently stated that the widespread devastation across the coastal enclave makes locating remains exceptionally challenging. The group asserts that heavy machinery and specialized equipment are required to dig through the rubble of destroyed buildings and collapsed tunnels, resources that are largely unavailable due to the Israeli blockade and the destruction of Gaza's infrastructure. Al Jazeera reports that recovery teams on the ground face extraordinary challenges, operating with "no bulldozers, no trucks, no cranes and no heavy equipment" to speed up the process. Hamas has repeatedly called on international mediators and the Red Cross to provide the necessary equipment and personnel to facilitate the recovery efforts.
The exchanges are a key component of the initial phase of a broader ceasefire plan. The subsequent phases of the agreement, which have not yet been activated, call for the creation of an international stabilization force and the reconstruction of Gaza. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has emphasized that any future entity in Gaza should have the legitimacy of a mandate from the Security Council. As of early November, Qatar, a key mediator alongside Egypt and the United States, reported that violations of the ceasefire are happening daily but that intensive efforts are ongoing to keep the agreement from collapsing.