Forensic specialists in Gaza are currently engaged in the process of identifying numerous deceased Palestinians recently released by Israel, who exhibit signs of physical mistreatment according to the local authorities. In response, Israel has clarified that one of the four bodies handed over by Hamas the previous day did not correspond to any of the hostages held in the region.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has emphasized the importance of Hamas meeting the stipulations outlined in the ceasefire agreement, asserting that Israel will persist in its efforts until the final deceased hostage is returned.
Subsequent to Netanyahu’s statement, Israel transferred an additional 45 bodies of Palestinians as part of the ceasefire terms, as reported by the Gaza Health Ministry.
This latest transfer follows the delivery of 45 bodies to Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, by Israel through the Red Cross, bringing the total number of released deceased Palestinians to 90 since the commencement of the ceasefire last week.
The origin of the unidentified bodies, marked only with numerical identifiers, remains uncertain – whether they are individuals who perished in Israeli detention facilities or bodies removed from Gaza by Israeli forces.
Dr. Ahmed Duheir, the director of forensic medicine at Nasser Hospital, affirmed that their forensic team has identified signs of physical abuse on the bodies.
He mentioned that the initial batch of bodies received on Tuesday had all displayed signs of being restrained either by their hands or feet. The bodies transferred on Wednesday also showed signs of being bound, some with blindfolds on, and a few were at varying stages of decomposition, complicating the identification process.
Dr. Duheir expressed the limitations faced in the identification process due to the lack of advanced tools, hoping for collaboration with Israel to access more sophisticated DNA testing methods.
Thus far, health officials have received names for only three out of the 90 unidentified bodies, with no confirmed matches of identities.
Sameh Hamad, a member of the commission overseeing the reception of bodies at the hospital, noted that some bodies exhibited indications of torture and executions.
He specified that the deceased were men aged between 25 to 70, most with straps around their necks, and some with ropes. The bodies were predominantly in civilian attire, although a few were in camouflage uniforms.
Authorities anticipated a total of 450 bodies to be handed over while Israeli officials have not disclosed the exact number in their custody or the quantity to be repatriated.
