Experts in forensic investigation in Gaza are currently engaged in the process of identifying numerous deceased Palestinians delivered by Israel on Wednesday, who are said to exhibit signs of physical mistreatment. In response, Israel has stated that one of the four bodies handed over by Hamas the previous day was not among the hostages being held in the region.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stressed the importance of Hamas meeting the conditions outlined in the ceasefire agreement on Wednesday, emphasizing that Israel is resolute in its commitment to bring back all hostages until the last one is returned.
Following Netanyahu’s statements, Israel proceeded to transfer an additional 45 bodies of Palestinians in accordance with the ceasefire pact, as reported by the Gaza Health Ministry.
The recent transfer occurred subsequent to Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis receiving 45 bodies of Palestinians handed over by Israel to the Red Cross a day earlier without any identification, raising the total number of deceased Palestinians released by Israel to 90 since the commencement of the ceasefire last week.
The identity of the unidentified bodies, labeled with numerical markers only, remains uncertain, leaving ambiguity as to whether these individuals expired in Israeli detention facilities or if their bodies were removed by Israeli forces from Gaza.
Dr. Ahmed Duheir, the director of forensic medicine at Nasser Hospital, affirmed that their forensic analysis has revealed manifestations of physical abuse on the bodies.
He noted that the initial group of bodies arrived on Tuesday with their hands or feet restrained. Similarly, the bodies transferred on Wednesday were also bound, with some having blindfolds, and certain remains had started to decompose, complicating the identification process.
Duheir lamented the lack of advanced tools for identification, expressing hope for assistance from Israel in conducting more sophisticated DNA testing.
As of now, health authorities have only received names for three out of the 90 unidentified bodies, with no matches to their identities yet established.
Sameh Hamad, a member of the commission responsible for receiving the bodies at the hospital, reported that some bodies exhibited signs of torture and executions.
He indicated that the bodies belonged to males aged between 25 and 70, with most still having straps around their necks, while one had a rope. Hamad informed The Associated Press that the majority of the bodies were in civilian attire, though some were clad in camouflage uniforms.
Officials estimated that a total of 450 bodies are expected to be handed over, but Israeli authorities have not disclosed the exact number in their custody or the quantity to be repatriated.
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