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This development comes after Palestinian fighters returned the remains of Israeli hostage Dror Or. The Israeli military says he was killed in a Hamas attack on October 7, 2023. Under the agreement, Israel agreed to return 15 Palestinian bodies for each hostage.
Israel hands over bodies of 15 Palestinians
Gaza: Israel has handed over the bodies of 15 more Palestinians. The first phase of the ceasefire agreement is nearing its end, and officials have gathered to discuss the second phase. Hospital officials in Gaza announced this on Wednesday.
This development comes after Palestinian fighters returned the remains of Israeli hostage Dror Or. The Israeli military says he was killed in a Hamas attack on October 7, 2023. Under the agreement, Israel agreed to return 15 Palestinian bodies for each hostage.
According to the Gaza Health Ministry, Israel has returned a total of 345 Palestinian bodies to Gaza since the latest exchanges began last month. Two people remain in Gaza captivity. These include an Israeli and a Thai citizen.
Officials from Turkey, Qatar, and Egypt met in Cairo on Wednesday to discuss the second phase of the ceasefire. Despite accusations of ceasefire violations by both sides, the ceasefire has held.
The next steps in the agreement include deploying an international force and establishing an international administrative structure for Gaza, which will also oversee reconstruction work.
The armed international stabilization force will be tasked with maintaining security and ensuring the disarmament of Hamas. This is Israel's main demand. Indonesian officials have said they plan to send 20,000 peacekeepers to this force.
Questions remain about almost every aspect of this plan and the timing of its implementation. Meanwhile, nearly all Palestinians remain displaced from their homes and depend on humanitarian aid. Hamas still controls a significant portion of Gaza, and reconstruction in Gaza has barely begun.
The Gaza Health Ministry said that only 99 of the 345 bodies returned by Israel have been identified, adding that the identification process is extremely difficult due to a lack of DNA testing kits in Gaza.
