The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) announced on Monday that Israel returned the bodies of 45 Palestinians a day after Palestinian militants handed over the remains of three Israeli hostages. Israeli authorities confirmed that the three victims were soldiers killed during the Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023, which triggered the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
This exchange marks another step toward implementing the fragile U.S.-mediated ceasefire, aimed at ending the deadliest and most destructive fighting between Israel and Hamas in recent years.
Since the ceasefire came into effect on October 10, Palestinian militants have handed over the bodies of 20 Israeli hostages, while eight remain in Gaza. Under the agreement, Israel releases 15 Palestinian bodies for each returned Israeli hostage. With Monday’s transfer, the total number of Palestinian bodies returned has reached 270.
The ICRC facilitated the transfer of the 45 Palestinian bodies to Gaza on Monday morning. Zaher al-Wahidi, spokesperson for the Gaza Ministry of Health, told Associated Press that Nasser Hospital received the remains around midday.
Due to limited DNA testing resources in Gaza, only 78 of the returned bodies have been identified so far. The ministry has shared photographs of the remains online in the hope that families can recognize their loved ones.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office confirmed that the three Israeli hostages returned on Sunday night were: Captain Omer Neutra, an Israeli-American, Sergeant Oz Daniel, and Colonel Assaf Hamami. According to Hamas, their remains were found in a tunnel in southern Gaza on Sunday.
Neutra, 21, was captured along with his tank crew during the October 2023 attack and was confirmed dead by the Israeli military in December 2024. Daniel, 19, was also part of the tank crew, while another crew member, Nimrod Cohen, was previously released alive. The remains of another soldier had also been returned earlier.
