Hospital officials in Gaza said on Wednesday that they have received the bodies of 15 Palestinians from Israel.
The announcement, made by officials at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, brings the number of Palestinian bodies returned to Gaza to 285.
Israel's move came a day after the Palestinian resistance group, Hamas, handed over the remains of another Israeli captive to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Gaza under a US-brokered ceasefire deal with Israel.
Phase one of the deal includes the release of Israeli hostages in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners.
For every captive’s body, Israel has been handing over the remains of 15 Palestinians.
So far Hamas has released 20 Israeli captives alive and returned the remains of 19 out of 28 deceased captives, most of them Israelis, according to the group.
Israel, however, previously claimed that one of the bodies received did not match any of its missing captives. Israel has tied the start of negotiations for the second phase of the deal to the handover of all the hostage remains.
Hamas says the process requires time due to the massive destruction in Gaza.
Israel strikes Gaza despite truce deal
Since the ceasefire began earlier this month, Israeli forces have killed over 200 Palestinians and wounded hundreds, Doctors Without Borders (MSF) says.
MSF reported last week treating severely injured civilians in Gaza following Israeli attacks that caused alarming casualties.
More than 68,000 people have been killed in Gaza since Israel launched its genocidal war on October 7, 2023.
The ceasefire, based on US President Donald Trump’s 20-point plan, began on October 10.
