Israel returns 30 Palestinian bodies to Gaza amid ongoing hostage exchanges

Israel has handed over the bodies of 30 Palestinians to Gaza, a day after Palestinian militants returned the remains of two hostages to Israel, hospital officials and the Red Cross said.

Dr. Ahmed al-Farra, head of the pediatric unit at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, confirmed that all 30 bodies arrived unidentified. The Red Cross assisted in the transfer, which is part of ongoing arrangements under the Israel-Hamas ceasefire.

Photos from the hospital showed the bodies in white bags laid in rows. Gaza health authorities are struggling to identify the deceased due to limited access to DNA testing. With this transfer, Israel has returned 225 Palestinian bodies so far. It is not clear whether these Palestinians were killed in Israel, died in custody, or were recovered during the conflict.

In Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed that the remains returned by Hamas were those of hostages Sahar Baruch and Amiram Cooper. Since the ceasefire began on October 10, Hamas has returned 17 hostages, with 11 more expected under the agreement.

Meanwhile, a 15-year-old Palestinian boy, Yamen Hamed, was shot dead by Israeli forces in Silwad, West Bank, amid rising military operations and violence in the territory.