This step comes within the framework of the first phase of the ceasefire agreement that took effect on October 10 , which includes the exchange of prisoners and bodies between Israel and Hamas, mediated by Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey, and supervised by the United States.
The ministry said in a statement that it "received 30 bodies of martyrs who were released today by the Israeli occupation, through the mediation of the International Red Cross, bringing the total number of martyrs' bodies received to 195."
The Ministry of Health explained that "a number of the bodies showed clear signs of abuse, including beatings, handcuffing, and blindfolding." It noted that of the 195 bodies, only 57 Palestinians were identified by their families.
Families identify the bodies of their loved ones, who arrived from Israel without names, by identifying marks left on their bodies or the clothes they were wearing before they went missing. Due to the lack of testing equipment due to the Israeli blockade and the destruction of laboratories in Gaza, the families are able to identify the bodies of their loved ones by identifying marks left on their bodies or the clothing they were wearing before they went missing.
Hours ago, the Gaza Strip government announced the commencement of the burial of 54 bodies of Palestinians who had been handed over to the Ministry of Health after they could not be identified due to Israel's obliteration of their features as a result of torture.
Prior to the ceasefire, Israel was holding 735 Palestinian bodies in what is known as the "cemeteries of numbers," according to the Palestinian National Campaign to Recover the Bodies of Martyrs and Uncover the Fate of the Missing (non-governmental organization).
In addition to the 735 bodies, the campaign pointed to a report published by the Hebrew newspaper Haaretz on July 16, stating that the Israeli occupation army is holding approximately 1,500 bodies of Palestinians from Gaza at the notorious Sde Teiman camp.
Martyrs of violations
This comes as the Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip announced on Wednesday that the death toll from the Israeli war of extermination since October 7, 2023, has risen to "68,234 martyrs and 170,373 wounded."
The ministry said in its daily statistical report that "Gaza Strip hospitals received five martyrs and four injured people over the past 24 hours," adding that "four of the martyrs were recovered," indicating that they had been killed in recent days or weeks.
The report indicated that one person was killed as a result of direct targeting by the Israeli occupation forces over the past 24 hours. It also confirmed the presence of a number of victims under the rubble and on the streets, with ambulance and civil defense crews unable to reach them at this time.
The ministry noted that the death toll from the Israeli genocide has risen to "68,234 martyrs and 170,373 wounded" since October 7 , 2023. It explained that the Israeli occupation army has killed 88 Palestinians and wounded 315 others, while 436 bodies have been recovered since the ceasefire in Gaza began a few days ago
The first phase of the ceasefire agreement came into effect in October 10, following two yearof Israeli genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.
The agreement is based on a plan proposed by US President Donald Trump and reached between Hamas and Israel following indirect negotiations in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, with the participation of Ankara, Cairo, and Doha, and under US supervision.
Since October 7, 2023, Israel, with US support, has perpetrated a two-year genocide in Gaza, including killing, starvation, destruction, and forced displacement, ignoring all international calls and orders from the International Court of Justice to halt it.