Gaza’s Health Ministry said it received the remains of 30 more Palestinians transferred by Israel under a ceasefire deal, with some bodies showing signs of abuse.
A ministry statement on Wednesday said that 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 added.
The ministry said the new handovers brought the number of bodies returned by Israel since October 14 to 195, of whom only 57 bodies have been identified.
Families have been trying to identify their relatives based on remaining physical marks or clothing, as Israel’s years-long blockade and the destruction of Gaza’s laboratories have made forensic testing impossible.
Earlier Wednesday, the Gaza government held a funeral procession for 54 Palestinians returned by Israel. These victims could not be identified, as their features were blurred as a result of torture.
Before the ceasefire, Israel held 735 Palestinian bodies, according to the Palestinian National Campaign to Retrieve Martyrs’ Bodies.
Haaretz has reported that the Israeli army has been holding about 1,500 bodies of Palestinians from Gaza at the notorious Sde Teiman military base in southern Israel.
The ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel, brokered through regional and international mediation, took effect on October 10.
Since October 2023, the Israeli genocidal war has killed over 68,200 people and wounded more than 170,300, according to the Health Ministry.
