Israel releases 15 Palestinian bodies as truce deal shifts to next phase

Israel has released 15 bodies of Palestinians killed during its war in Gaza, three days after recovering the remains of the last hostage, in moves mediators hope will pave the way to carrying out the next stage of US President Donald Trump's peace plan.

Gaza's health ministry confirmed it had received the 15 bodies, saying it would now try to identify them.

Only 99 of the Palestinian bodies handed over since October have been identified, it added, with health officials forced to bury unidentified bodies in mass graves.

For Israel police officer Ron Gvili was one of 251 hostages seized and taken to Gaza by Hamas during their October 7, 2023 cross-border attack that triggered the war.

At the time of a ceasefire deal that Israel and Hamas agreed in October, 48 hostages remained in Gaza, 28 of whom were believed to be dead, including Gvili.

Handing over all remaining living and dead hostages was a core commitment written into the first phase of the ceasefire deal. Subsequent stages remain to be fulfilled, with deep splits over what comes next, including Hamas disarmament.

In a statement, the International Committee of the Red Cross said it had facilitated the return of 15 deceased Palestinians to Gaza, after Israel recovered Gvili's remains.

MONTHS-LONG OPERATION TO RECOVER BODIES

"This marks the completion of a months-long operation that reunited families and supported the implementation of the ceasefire agreement," the ICRC statement added.

The operation began in October with the release of 20 living hostages by Hamas and 1,808 Palestinian prisoners by Israel, the ICRC said. In subsequent phases, the ICRC smoothed returns of the deceased, including 27 of 28 hostages and 360 Palestinians.

“We are relieved to have helped reunite families with their loved ones. For families whose deceased relatives were returned, we hope this brought the possibility to fully mourn,” said Julien Lerisson, the ICRC's regional head.

BRITTLE CEASEFIRE

In the latest violence rattling the fragile ceasefire, medics said two men were killed by Israeli forces in eastern Khan Younis, in an area adjacent to where the army operates.

The Israeli military said it "conducted a precise strike, in accordance with the ceasefire agreement," targeting a rebel planning to attack its troops.

"Prior to the strike, steps were taken to mitigate harm to civilians," a statement from the military said.

The Gaza health ministry said Israeli airstrikes, tank shelling, and gunfire have killed at least 490 people since the truce took effect in October after two years of war that widely demolished the Palestinian enclave.

Later in the day, an Israeli airstrike killed at least one Palestinian and wounded others in the Maghazi camp of central Gaza. It was unclear what prompted the attack, and the Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Israel said four soldiers have been killed by Palestinian fighters in the small coastal territory during the ceasefire.

The two sides have traded blame over the truce violations.

By advancing to phase two, the US and mediator partners Egypt and Qatar must confront the more contentious issue of Hamas disarmament, which the group has long rejected. The plan also calls for deploying an international peacekeeping force.