Morgue workers unload the bodies of Palestinians that had been in Israeli custody, after they were transported by Red Crescent vehicles and refrigerated trucks, to the Nasser hospital in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip. AFP
In a statement, the ministry said its teams had received 45 bodies from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) at Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis. The remains were handed over by the Israeli occupation army after being held during the Gaza war.
This brings the total number of bodies recovered since the start of the captive-prisoner exchange operation to 90, the ministry added.
The health ministry added that many victims had their hands bound and eyes blindfolded, suggesting they were subjected to severe mistreatment before their deaths.
Medical sources said some bodies showed marks consistent with tank treads, indicating that several victims may have been run over by military vehicles.
Mahmoud Al-Zaqout, director general of hospitals in Gaza, said that some of the bodies were unrecognizable due to extensive mutilation.
He added that a committee is working to identify the victims and that the Health Ministry will publish a list of names once confirmed by the ICRC to allow families to identify and bury their relatives.
Al-Zaqout also said additional bodies of Palestinian victims are expected to be handed over to Gaza in the coming days through the ICRC.
Last Friday, the Palestinian National Campaign for the Recovery of Martyrs’ Bodies and the Disclosure of the Fate of the Missing reported that Israel continues to hold 735 Palestinian bodies, including those of 67 children.
Among them, 256 are buried in what are known as “cemeteries of numbers,” simple, unmarked graves identified only by numbered metal plates, with corresponding files held by Israeli security authorities.
Since 7 October 2023, Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza has left more than 238,000 Palestinians dead or wounded, most of them women and children.
Over 11,000 people remain missing, while hundreds of thousands have been displaced amid widespread devastation across the Gaza Strip.
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