Israel Returns 45 Palestinian Bodies to Gaza as Part of Ongoing Prisoner Exchange Under Ceasefire Agreement

Gaza truce, facilitated by US President Donald Trump, commenced on October 10.

Palestinian Territories:

Israel has returned 45 Palestinian bodies to Gaza on Monday, increasing the total number transferred under the ceasefire agreement to 270, according to the Gaza health ministry operated by Hamas.

The ceasefire agreement, mediated by US President Donald Trump, stipulated that Israel would return the remains of 15 Palestinians for each Israeli body returned.

After forensic examination, Israeli authorities confirmed on Monday that the remains delivered by Hamas the previous day belonged to three hostages captured by Palestinian militants during the October 7, 2023 attack that initiated the conflict.

The identified remains were those of American-Israeli Captain Omer Neutra, who was 21 years old when abducted, 19-year-old Corporal Oz Daniel, and 40-year-old Colonel Assaf Hamami, the highest-ranking officer killed by Hamas.

The armed wing of Hamas stated they discovered the remains earlier on Sunday "along the path of one of the tunnels in southern Gaza Strip."

Hamas was holding 48 hostages in Gaza when the truce began on October 10, with 20 of them alive.

Since the truce implementation, Hamas has released all 20 surviving hostages and begun returning the remains of 28 deceased captives.

Of the latter group, they have so far returned 20 bodies – including 18 Israelis, one Thai national, and one Nepali citizen.

Israel has accused Hamas of deliberately delaying the return of the bodies, while the Palestinian group claims the process is slow because many remains are buried under Gaza's rubble.

Hamas has repeatedly requested mediators and the Red Cross to provide equipment and personnel necessary to recover the bodies.