Israel has returned the bodies of 15 Palestinians to the Gaza Strip on Saturday, bringing the total number of bodies returned to 135, according to the Ministry of Health in Gaza.
Under the ceasefire agreement mediated by U.S. President Donald Trump, Israel is required to hand over 15 Palestinian bodies for each deceased Israeli returned by Hamas, the Palestinian group designated as a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union.
On Friday, Hamas delivered the body of another Israeli hostage, raising the total to nine Israeli hostages and one Nepali student returned since the truce began.
The Gaza Health Ministry stated that some of the returned bodies showed signs of “abuse, beating, and handcuffing.” Similar allegations were made in previous exchanges.
The Israeli military dismissed these claims as “false Hamas propaganda,” emphasizing that all returned bodies were of combatants killed inside Gaza.
On October 13, Hamas released 20 live Israeli hostages and began returning the bodies of deceased hostages. In exchange, Israel freed nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails.
The release of hostages and the ceasefire in Gaza represent the first phase of Trump’s 20-point peace plan for the Palestinian enclave.
On October 14, President Trump announced that phase two of the peace plan had begun, which includes the disarmament of Hamas—a demand long made by Israel but previously rejected by the group.
The war in Gaza began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas militants attacked southern Israel, killing around 1,200 people and kidnapping 251 others. In response, Israel launched a massive military offensive that has since killed more than 67,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
The conflict has devastated much of Gaza, leaving its two million residents facing a severe humanitarian crisis marked by shortages of food, water, and medical supplies.
