Israel Hands Over Bodies of 30 Palestinians – 225 since October 10

October 31, 2025 News
Gaza authorities receive Palestinian bodies from Israel. (Photo: via QNN)

The Gaza Health Ministry had previously said that many of the bodies handed over by Israel showed signs of abuse, including beatings, bound hands, blindfolds, and facial disfigurement.

A hospital in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis announced on Friday that it received the bodies of 30 Palestinians released by Israel, raising the total number of bodies received to 225 under the ceasefire deal.

In a statement, the Nasser Hospital said it had “received 30 bodies of Palestinian martyrs released today by the Israeli occupation through the International Committee of the Red Cross,” without providing further details.

The Gaza Health Ministry had previously said that many of the bodies handed over by Israel showed signs of abuse, including beatings, bound hands, blindfolds, and facial disfigurement, and were returned without names, the Anadolu news agency reported.

The handover is part of the first phase of a US-brokered ceasefire agreement that took effect on October 10. The deal includes the exchange of prisoners and bodies between Israel and Hamas, brokered by Egypt, Qatar, and Türkiye, with US oversight.

Tragic Process of Identification

Families have been identifying the remains of their relatives, returned from Israel without names, by physical markings or clothing, as forensic facilities in Gaza remain out of service due to the Israeli blockade and the destruction of laboratories.

The hospital did not say whether the newly received bodies carried names or showed signs of torture. However, details are expected to be announced in the coming hours.

Before the ceasefire, Israel held 735 Palestinian bodies in so-called “cemeteries of numbers,” according to the Palestinian National Campaign to Retrieve Martyrs’ Bodies and Discover the Fate of the Missing.

The campaign cited a Haaretz report published on July 16, 2024, revealing that the Israeli army has been holding about 1,500 bodies of Palestinians from Gaza at the notorious Sde Teiman military base in southern Israel, according to Anadolu.

Staggering Death Toll

Starting on October 7, 2023, the Israeli military, with American support, launched a genocidal war against the people of Gaza. This campaign has so far resulted in the deaths of over 68,600 Palestinians, with more than 170,000 wounded. The vast majority of the population has been displaced, and the destruction of infrastructure is unprecedented since World War II. Thousands of people are still missing.

Classified US Report Reveals ‘Many Hundreds’ of Israeli Human Rights Violations in Gaza

In addition to the military assault, the Israeli blockade has caused a man-made famine, leading to the deaths of hundreds of Palestinians—mostly children—with hundreds of thousands more at risk.

Despite widespread international condemnation, little has been done to hold Israel accountable. The nation is currently under investigation for genocide by the International Court of Justice, while accused war criminals, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, are officially wanted by the International Criminal Court.

(Anadolu, PC)

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