Israel Returns Bodies of 45 Palestinians

Israel returned the bodies of 45 Palestinians to Gaza on Nov. 3, the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry said.

The repatriation came a day after the terrorist group that has controlled the Palestinian enclave for almost two decades returned the remains of three soldiers who were killed in the Hamas-led attack on Oct. 7, 2023.

“The Ministry of Health announces the receipt of 45 bodies of martyrs who were released today by the Israeli occupation and through the International Committee of the Red Cross, bringing the total number of bodies of martyrs received to 270,” the health ministry said on Telegram. “So far, 78 bodies out of 270 have been identified, from among the bodies released and received by the occupation.”

Zaher al-Wahidi, a spokesperson at the Gaza Health Ministry, said that Nasser Hospital received the bodies around noon on Nov. 3. The Red Cross confirmed it had facilitated the transfer.

The Epoch Times has contacted the International Committee of the Red Cross for comment.

The health ministry said forensic identification of the bodies is made more difficult by the lack of DNA testing kits in Gaza. The ministry has posted photos of the remains online, in the hope that relatives will recognize them.

Since the cease-fire took effect on Oct. 10, Hamas has released all living hostages and the remains of 20. The remains of eight hostages are still in the Gaza Strip.

For each Israeli hostage returned, Israel has been releasing the remains of about 15 Palestinians.

On Nov. 3, Israel said that the remains of three hostages returned from Gaza the previous night belonged to Israeli soldiers who were killed on Oct. 7, 2023.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a post on X that the soldiers were killed during the attack on southern Israel, and their bodies were taken to Gaza.

They were identified as Capt. Omer Maxim Neutra, 21, an American Israeli; Staff Sgt. Oz Daniel, 19; and Col. Assaf Hamami, 40.

A message of condolence posted on the Israeli prime minister’s official X account said that the government of Israel “shares in the deep sorrow of the Hamami, Neutra and Daniel families, and all the families of the deceased hostages.”

“The Government and the entire establishment for the missing and the captives of the State of Israel are determined, committed, and working tirelessly to return all of our deceased hostages for proper burial in their country,” the office said in a follow-up post.

Israel has said that the return of hostage remains is happening too slowly and that some of the bodies returned did not match their records when they conducted identification checks. Hamas has said the work is complicated by the widespread devastation in Gaza.

U.S. President Donald Trump described the cease-fire between Israel and Hamas as “very solid” over the weekend.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.