Palestinian militants on Tuesday handed over human remains to the Red Cross, which is expected to deliver them to the Israeli military for forensic testing and identification, Israel said.
According to The Associated Press, the transfer is part of last month’s fragile ceasefire, which has persisted despite ongoing Israeli strikes, mounting casualties in Gaza, and mutual accusations of violations.
It remains unclear whether the remains belong to one of the three hostages still held in Gaza.
Palestinian Islamic Jihad announced earlier this week that it had found a body in Nuseirat, a refugee camp in central Gaza, while Hamas said the remains would be handed over to the International Committee of the Red Cross on Tuesday afternoon.
Since the ceasefire went into effect on Oct. 10, Palestinian militants have returned 25 bodies of hostages in a slow-moving process, while Israel has released 330 Palestinian bodies back to Gaza.
Hamas says some remains are still buried under rubble from Israel’s two-year offensive. Israel has accused the militants of delaying the process and warned it could resume military operations or withhold humanitarian aid if all remains are not returned.
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office described the delay as a violation of the ceasefire. Meanwhile, Palestinian officials face challenges in identifying the bodies due to limited access to DNA kits.
Of the bodies returned so far, only 95 have been identified, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which operates under the Hamas government and maintains detailed records.
Israel has not released details about the identities of the bodies it has received. The remaining hostages yet to be returned include two Israelis and a man from Thailand.
Humanitarian conditions in Gaza remain dire. Heavy rains on Tuesday displaced thousands more residents, highlighting the vulnerability of Gaza’s roughly 2 million people.
Aid has been slowly entering the territory, but the United Nations’ Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs warns that shortages of food and winter supplies persist, urging Israel to ease restrictions.
The current conflict began with the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, which killed about 1,200 people and took over 250 hostages.
Israel’s retaliatory offensive has resulted in 69,775 Palestinians killed and 170,863 injured, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, though it does not distinguish between civilians and combatants. Women and children reportedly make up the majority of those killed.
Even during the ceasefire, violence continues. On Tuesday, the Gaza Health Ministry reported that Israeli forces killed three people east of Khan Younis, while 14 more bodies were recovered from rubble over the past 24 hours. Since the truce began on Oct. 11, the ministry said 345 Palestinians have died.
The handover of remains underscores both the fragile nature of the ceasefire and the ongoing humanitarian and human costs of the conflict.
