The ministry said in a statement that it "received 45 bodies of martyrs released today by the Israeli occupation, through the mediation of the Red Cross, bringing the total number of martyrs' bodies received to 90 (since yesterday)."
She confirmed that medical teams continue to handle the bodies in accordance with established medical procedures and protocols, pending completion of the examination, documentation, and delivery to their families.
Israeli bodies
Meanwhile, the Israeli Broadcasting Authority reported that Israel is preparing to receive the bodies of five of its prisoners in the Gaza Strip later Wednesday evening.
The official body said, "Israel is preparing to return the bodies of five kidnapped individuals tonight," without providing further details. Hamas has not yet issued a statement on the matter.
These steps come within the framework of the first phase of the ceasefire agreement, which entered into force on October 10, and includes the exchange of prisoners and bodies between Israel and Hamas, mediated by Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey, and supervised by the United States.
In implementation of this, Hamas released the 20 living Israeli prisoners on Monday, handed over the bodies of eight, and stated that it needed time to retrieve the bodies of the remaining 20 prisoners.
While Israel released 250 Palestinian prisoners serving life sentences, in addition to 1,718 it arrested from the Gaza Strip after October 8, 2023, it still holds more than 10,000 Palestinians in detention.
Second phase negotiations
In a related development, Israeli officials said earlier today that negotiations to implement the second phase of the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas have not yet begun, despite statements by US President Donald Trump on Tuesday confirming the start of the second phase of the agreement.
Israel 24 quoted unnamed Israeli officials as saying: "Contrary to reports, the second phase of negotiations has not yet begun, and will not begin until the first phase is completed with the return of all the bodies of the hostages (Israeli captives)." The channel noted that specialized teams are in Egypt to discuss ways to locate the remains of the Israelis.
On October 9 , US President Donald Trump announced that Israel and Hamas had reached an agreement on the first phase of his ceasefire and prisoner exchange plan, following indirect negotiations between the two sides with the participation of Turkey, Egypt, and Qatar, and under US supervision.
With American support, Israel has been committing genocide in Gaza for two years since October 8, 2023, leaving 67,938 martyrs and 170,169 wounded, most of them children and women, and causing a famine that claimed the lives of 463 Palestinians, including 157 children.
