A Red Cross team in the Gaza Strip on Saturday received two coffins containing the bodies of Israeli prisoners of war, which were then transferred to Israeli military units in the enclave, an Israeli military statement said.
According to Al Jazeera, the military said, “According to information provided by the Red Cross, two coffins of deceased hostages have been transferred to the custody of the Red Cross and are on their way to the Israeli Defense Forces and ISA forces in the Gaza Strip.”
Israel’s Channel 12 later confirmed that the military had received the body from the Red Cross.
Under the ceasefire agreement, Hamas released 20 surviving Israeli prisoners and handed over the bodies of 13 others in exchange for about 2,000 Palestinian prisoners, many of whom had been held without charge by the occupation regime.
The deal was reached last week through indirect talks and is based on a phased plan introduced by US President Donald Trump. The first phase involved an exchange of detainees, and subsequent phases outlined reconstruction efforts in the Gaza Strip and the creation of a new administrative structure, an approach widely seen by Palestinians as an attempt to impose foreign rule on the besieged region.
Since October 2023, the Israeli regime’s relentless attacks on Gaza have killed more than 68,100 people and injured more than 170,200, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health. The staggering death toll highlights the scale of destruction inflicted by the ongoing operation, which continues to draw global condemnation for war crimes and collective punishment of civilians.
MNA