Israel hands over 15 more Palestinian bodies to Gaza under ceasefire deal

Israel on Saturday returned the bodies of 15 Palestinians to Gaza, bringing the total number handed over to 135 since the ceasefire began, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-controlled enclave.

The exchange was part of a ceasefire agreement brokered by U.S. President Donald Trump, which stipulates that Israel must release 15 Palestinian bodies for every deceased Israeli returned.

Hamas had earlier handed over the bodies of nine Israelis and one Nepalese student since the ceasefire commenced. Late on Friday, the group also returned the body of another Israeli hostage.

Relatives confirmed that three of the four Israeli hostages whose bodies were returned on October 14 had been identified following forensic examinations. Among them was Tamir, an Israeli soldier who was captured at age 18 from a military base near the Gaza border.

Meanwhile, the Gaza health ministry alleged that some of the Palestinian bodies returned on Saturday showed signs of “abuse, beatings, handcuffing, and blindfolding.” Similar claims had been made regarding earlier exchanges under the ceasefire deal.

However, the Israeli military dismissed the accusations, describing them as “Hamas’s false propaganda.” The army also stated that all the bodies returned so far belonged to combatants killed during fighting inside Gaza.