Israel transferred the bodies of 15 Palestinians to Gaza in what officials said was the final exchange under the first phase of a U.S.-brokered cease-fire with Hamas, days after the country recovered the remains of its last Israeli hostage. The Gaza Health Ministry, part of the Hamas-run government, said the bodies were received and taken to Shifa Hospital in Gaza City.
The International Committee of the Red Cross said it helped facilitate the handover. Under the terms of the cease-fire struck in October, Israel agreed to return 15 Palestinian bodies for each Israeli hostage whose remains were recovered. The ministry said the latest return marked the conclusion of the first phase of the hostage-detainee framework between Israel and Hamas.
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It was not immediately clear whether the bodies returned Tuesday were those of Palestinians who died in Israeli custody or people whose remains were taken from Gaza by Israeli troops during the war.
Israel has released roughly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners under the cease-fire deal, many of whom were detained by Israeli forces during the more than two-year war and held without charge. It has also repatriated the bodies of 360 Palestinians to Gaza, where overwhelmed authorities have struggled to identify them. The Gaza Health Ministry has posted photographs of the deceased online to help families confirm identities, and about 100 of the bodies returned so far have been identified by relatives, ministry spokesman Zaher al-Wahidi said.
Monday’s transfer followed Israel’s announcement that it had found and identified the remains of police officer Ran Gvili, the last Israeli hostage, after an extensive search at a cemetery in northern Gaza. The Oct. 7, 2023 attack by Hamas-led militants on Israel killed about 1,200 people and saw 251 taken hostage, triggering the war. The recovery of Gvili’s body closed a painful chapter for Israelis and paved the way for the next, more complex stage of the cease-fire plan.
The second phase, outlined by mediators, calls for deploying an international security force, disarming Hamas, pulling back Israeli soldiers and beginning the reconstruction of Gaza. U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff announced the launch of that phase earlier this month, but Israeli fire and airstrikes have continued to kill Palestinians across the territory almost daily, according to local officials. The Gaza Health Ministry said 492 Palestinians have been killed since the cease-fire took effect. The ministry does not distinguish between civilians and combatants.
For Palestinians separated from relatives by the fighting—and tens of thousands of people outside Gaza trying to return—the reopening of the Rafah crossing on the Egyptian border cannot come soon enough. Israeli officials say the crossing is expected to reopen soon, though it remains unclear how many people will be allowed to enter or leave. Preparations are under way to allow a limited number of medical evacuees to travel abroad for treatment, but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said the crossing will not reopen to goods for now. Rafah, Gaza’s main gateway to the outside world, has been largely closed since May 2024.
By Abdiwahab Ahmed
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
