ISTANBUL

The Gaza Health Ministry said Saturday it received the remains of 15 more Palestinians returned by Israel through the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), bringing the total number of bodies handed over to 135 since the start of the ceasefire.

A ministry said the medical teams are handling the remains in accordance with approved forensic and medical protocols, including examination, documentation, and identification procedures, before returning them to families.

“Some of the bodies show signs of abuse, beatings, bound hands, and blindfolded eyes,” the ministry added.

The ministry added that families have so far identified seven victims through an online reference system established to match remains with missing persons.

On Friday, Ahmad Dhahir, director of forensic medicine at the Nasser Hospital, told Anadolu that due to the lack of scientific tools, the Health Ministry launched an online portal showing select, censored photos of the bodies to help families identify missing relatives remotely.

Ismail al-Thawabta, director of the Government Media Office in Gaza, also told Anadolu on Friday that the ministry received through the ICRC the remains of 120 unidentified Palestinians in three groups.

He said some of the bodies bore marks of torture, burns, and field executions, while Israel provided no data or names, making identification a nearly impossible task.

Authorities in Gaza estimate around 9,500 people remain missing, some likely still under the rubble, while the fate of others remains unknown.

Hamas released 20 living Israeli hostages and handed over the remains of 11 more captives in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners under the ceasefire agreement.

The deal was reached between Israel and Hamas last week, based on a plan presented by US President Donald Trump. Phase one included the release of Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. The plan also envisages the rebuilding of Gaza and the establishment of a new governing mechanism without Hamas.

Since October 2023, Israeli attacks have killed nearly 68,000 Palestinians in Gaza, most of them women and children, and rendered it largely uninhabitable.