Nasser Medical Hospital in Khan Younis stated in a statement that it "received 30 bodies of Palestinian martyrs who were released today by the Israeli occupation, through the International Committee of the Red Cross," bringing the total number of bodies handed over to 225 since October 14.
In previous statements, the Ministry of Health in Gaza indicated that the bodies it receives from the Israeli occupation army are unidentified and have no names, and bear signs of abuse including beatings, handcuffing, blindfolding, and altering facial features.
The move comes as part of the first phase of the ceasefire agreement in effect since October 10, which includes the exchange of prisoners and bodies between the occupation army and the Hamas movement, mediated by Egypt, Qatar and Turkey, and under American supervision.
Palestinian families identify the bodies of their sons through remaining distinctive marks on their bodies or from clothes they were wearing before they went missing, amid the absence of testing equipment due to the Israeli blockade and the destruction of laboratories in Gaza.
Regarding the newly received bodies, the hospital did not clarify whether they had names or showed signs of torture, and this is expected to be revealed in the coming hours.
For its part, the International Committee of the Red Cross stated in a statement that it "transferred the bodies of Palestinians to Gaza today," explaining that it facilitated the process as a "neutral intermediary and at the request of both parties."
She continued: "The committee's role only begins when its staff receive the remains, as the teams take measures to ensure that the bodies are treated with respect, including providing suitable bags for transport, vehicles equipped with refrigerators, in addition to deploying additional crews to facilitate the process."
The committee explained that "the responsibility for identifying the remains lies with the local health and forensic authorities, while the committee provides technical guidance when needed."
Before the ceasefire came into effect, Israel was holding 735 Palestinian bodies in what are known as "cemeteries of numbers," according to the "Palestinian National Campaign to Retrieve the Bodies of Martyrs and Reveal the Fate of the Missing."
In addition to the 735 bodies, the campaign referred to a report published by the Hebrew newspaper Haaretz on July 16, stating that the Israeli occupation army is holding about 1,500 bodies of Palestinians from Gaza in the notorious Sde Teiman camp.
