Hundreds of Palestinians gathered in central Gaza on Wednesday to attend the funeral of 54 prisoners whose bodies were returned by Israel under a ceasefire agreement, as local officials alleged evidence of torture and summary executions.
The procession took place in the city of Deir al-Balah, where mourners carried Palestinian flags and chanted prayers as the bodies, many wrapped in shrouds, were laid to rest.
Authorities said most of the prisoners could not be immediately identified due to severe disfigurement.
Ismail al-Thawabta, director of the Palestinian Government Media Office in Gaza, told reporters that medical teams had found signs of torture, including hanging marks, rope burns, and gunshot wounds at close range.
Some bodies, he said, showed bindings, burns, fractures, and evidence of being run over by armoured vehicles.
“These acts constitute conclusive evidence of field executions,” al-Thawabta claimed, calling on the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the wider international community to launch an investigation.
Families struggle to identify loved ones
Huda Hammad, a woman searching for her missing relative, said families were struggling to identify loved ones. “We come every day, but we cannot recognise their faces — there are no features left,” she said, adding that many of the bodies were mutilated or dismembered, making DNA testing essential.
Due to the ongoing Israeli blockade and destruction of infrastructure, Gaza’s testing facilities remain limited, forcing families to rely on clothing or personal items for identification.
According to Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza, 165 bodies have been received since October 14 through the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) as part of a ceasefire deal that began on October 10. The truce’s first phase included the exchange of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners and outlined a roadmap for Gaza’s reconstruction and the potential creation of a new administrative body.
The Israeli war on Gaza, launched in October 2023, has killed more than 68,200 Palestinians and wounded over 170,300, according to Palestinian health authorities in the enclave.
