There are 120 unidentified bodies released by Israel, said Red Cross officials in Gaza
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The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said it had recovered 120 unidentified bodies of Palestinians from Israel believed to have been killed during the two-year war in an unexpected move on Wednesday, as health officials began work to identify their remains.
Mu’in Al-Wahidi, head of the special mortuary committee at Al-Shifa Hospital, He confirmed that they accepted the transfer of unidentified bodies, on Wednesday night, but they have not yet confirmed the number of dead.
“We found complete human corpses … and human remains transported in sealed boxes that we will complete the expert examination tomorrow God willing,” Al-Wahidi told CBC News freelance videographer Mohamed El Saife.
He said health officials did not have information on how or where the people died or any identifying information and noted that the remains sent to Gaza were not part of an agreement to negotiate or exchange the bodies of Israeli hostages.
Red Cross officials say the refrigerated trucks were carrying them 54 corpses and what they said were found to be the remains of 66 others.
Last week, Israeli authorities released the bodies of 15 unidentified Palestinians. At the time, Palestinian health officials said it would be the last exchange between Israel and Hamas as part of the first phase of a US-led ceasefire.
The move came days after Israeli forces found the remains of the last hostage – Ran Gvili – who was held in Gaza for more than 840 days after he was taken by Hamas on October 7, 2023, in an attack on Israel.
The 120 bodies moved from Israel to Gaza on Wednesday bring the number of dead people freed by Israel since the October 10, 2024 ceasefire agreement began, to 480.
Handing over all remaining hostages, living and dead, was a key commitment written into the first phase of the cease-fire agreement.
This allowed the release of 20 live hostages by Hamas and 1,808 Palestinian prisoners by Israel.
The identification process begins
Amani Al-Naouq, spokesman for the Red Cross in Gaza, confirmed that the ICRC facilitated the transfer on Wednesday.
“Intelligence authorities will now begin the challenging task of trying to identify these remains despite severe resource constraints,” Al-Naauq told CBC News.
“Thousands of people are still missing in Gaza and thousands of families are seeking clarity about their loved ones.”
Israel has recovered the remains of Ran Gvili, a police officer who was killed during a Hamas attack on October 7. Gvili’s remains were the last in Gaza, having been kept there for more than 840 days. The recovery is seen as an important step before the next phase of US President Donald Trump’s peace plan.
The handover of the bodies took place one day later in Gaza Israeli tank fire and airstrikes killed 24 Palestinians including seven children and first aid, health officials said, the latest violence to undermine a four-month-old ceasefire in the area.
The Israeli military said it has started these strikes because the soldiers opened fire on Israeli soldiers working near where they last fought against Hamas.
It said an Israeli soldier was seriously injured by army fire, which it called a violation of the ceasefire agreement.
