Israel has announced that the remains of three soldiers killed by Hamas during its raid into Israel on 7 October 2023 have been handed over by the militant group.
The transfer is the latest since the precarious ceasefire in Gaza came into effect just over three weeks ago.
The bodies of the three soldiers, which were taken back to Gaza by Hamas after the 2023 raid, were found on Sunday in a tunnel in the south of the devastated Palestinian territory, Hamas said in a statement.
The remains have been identified by Israeli authorities as those of a colonel, an Israeli-American tank commander and a sergeant.
Israel has been releasing the remains of 15 Palestinians in exchange for the return of the remains of one Israeli hostage and has now handed over the bodies of 270 Palestinians to authorities in Gaza, all unidentified and many of them badly decomposed.
Zaher al-Wahidi, a spokesperson at the health ministry in Gaza, told the Associated Press on Monday that 45 bodies of Palestinians were received at the Nasser hospital near Khan Younis at about midday on Monday.
Since the US-brokered ceasefire accord, Hamas has released all living hostages in return for the freedom of nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and wartime detainees, while Israel pulled back its troops, halted its offensive and increased aid into the strip.
Under the deal, Hamas also agreed to hand over the remains of all 28 dead hostages. After Sunday’s handover, the bodies of eight Israelis and other nationals remain in Gaza.
Hamas have released one or two bodies every few days and have said that the massive destruction of Gaza has hindered the search for further remains. Israel has accused the group of deliberately slowing the handovers.
Gaza’s health system has been largely destroyed during the two-year conflict and authorities there have struggled to identify remains returned by Israel without DNA kits or other specialist equipment.
Only 75 of the bodies transferred since the ceasefire began have been identified, according to Gaza’s health ministry, which has posted online photos of remains in the hope relatives will recognise them. Some families hoping to bury loved ones are trying to identify them by fragments of clothes.
It is unclear if the Palestinians whose remains have been returned by Israel were killed inside Israel during the Hamas-led attack in 2023 that triggered the war, died in Israeli custody as detainees, or were recovered from Gaza by troops during the war.
The disputes over the recovery and handover of bodies of hostages has been one of the many challenges facing Donald Trump’s plan to definitively end the conflict.
Significant obstacles still lie ahead, including the future administration of Gaza and the demand for Hamas to disarm.
Trump’s 20-point plan includes the formation of an international stabilisation force of Arab and other partners that would work with Egypt and Jordan on securing Gaza’s borders and ensure the ceasefire is respected.
Turkey is hosting top diplomats from the Islamic world on Monday to try to drive forward reconstruction efforts.
Both sides have accused the other of violating the deal. Israel has launched waves of lethal air strikes, killing more than 100 Palestinians, and Hamas militants have attacked Israel troops.
Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said on Sunday “there are still pockets of Hamas” in parts of Gaza controlled by Israeli forces. “There are actually two in Rafah and Khan Younis, and they will be eliminated.”
The families of the hostages continue to rally in Israel every week. On Saturday night, Moran Harari, a friend of the late Carmel Gat, urged restraint.
“This cursed war has taken so many lives of dear people on both sides of the fence. This time, we must not fall into it again,” Harari said during a rally in Jerusalem.
On Sunday, Trump welcomed the return of the remains of the Israeli-American, Omer Neutra. Neutra, who travelled to Israel and volunteered to serve in its military, was 21 when he was killed.
“I spoke to [Neutra’s] parents … They’re thrilled in one sense, but in another sense, obviously, they’re not too great. But we’re very happy because we’ve got three bodies back today,” Trump said.
About 1,200 people, mostly civilians, were killed in the Hamas-led attack in 2023 and 251 people were taken hostage. Israel’s military offensive has killed more than 68,600 Palestinians, mostly civilians, in Gaza, according to Gaza’s health ministry, and reduced much of the territory to rubble.
Israel, which has denied accusations by a UN commission of inquiry and others of committing genocide in Gaza, has disputed the ministry’s figures without providing a contradicting toll.
Associated Press contributed to this report
