May Allah grant them dignity: More Palestinian bodies returned amid continued strikes on Gaza
As-salamu alaykum. Thirty more bodies of Palestinians who had been held by Israeli forces were returned to Gaza through the Red Cross, and some showed signs that they had been tortured. This came while air strikes continued across the Strip despite a fragile truce, killing at least three more people on Friday.
Local reports said one man was killed and his brother wounded by gunfire in Shujayea in eastern Gaza City, another was killed by shelling in the Jabalia refugee camp, and a third later died of earlier wounds. Civil defence teams in central Gaza also recovered a body from the rubble of the Abu Medein family home in az-Zahra, and strikes were reported in Khan Younis in the south.
The returned remains are part of the prisoner-captive exchange agreed in early October. The Palestinian Health Ministry said this handover brings the total number of bodies returned to 225. Medical teams are following standard procedures to identify the deceased before notifying families. In earlier transfers, some bodies showed signs of torture - blindfolds, being bound, burns, missing limbs or teeth - and many appeared decomposed.
Israel holds thousands of Palestinians in its prisons, including many in administrative detention without formal charges. Allegations of torture and mistreatment in detention have been common for years and have grown since the start of the war on Gaza.
Under the US-brokered deal to pause the fighting, Hamas released 20 living captives and Israel freed nearly 2,000 Palestinian political prisoners, with Israeli forces also pulling back partially from some urban areas. Still, since the ceasefire began on October 10, attacks have continued and dozens of Palestinians have been killed across the enclave. Health authorities reported 104 people killed between Tuesday and Wednesday alone, including many children and women.
The Red Cross said it moved three unidentified remains to Israel late Friday; an Israeli military source said bodies were sent to a forensic lab to confirm identities. The previous day, Hamas handed over two bodies of Israeli captives, and so far the group has returned remains of 17 captives (not counting Friday’s three). Hamas pledged to return the remains of all 28 captives as part of the deal.
Search teams are still trying to recover thousands of people buried under rubble. The Red Cross and members of the Qassam Brigades reportedly went to east Khan Younis to search for Israeli captives’ remains.
Despite the ceasefire, Israel has kept border crossings largely closed and restricted humanitarian aid. Aid access remains limited, and many in Gaza struggle to get food and shelter supplies. Reporters on the ground say aid convoys are only partially allowed and UN warehouse supplies are hard to reach.
International talks about the ceasefire’s next steps are planned, with some foreign ministers meeting to discuss a Gaza task force and stabilisation efforts. Concerns remain over whether the truce will hold.
There are also continuing allegations of abuse in Israeli detention centers. An Israeli army legal official was dismissed after a leaked video allegedly showed sexual assault of a detainee at Sde Teiman; rights groups have long criticised abuses in detention and say investigations often fail to hold people accountable.
May Allah grant patience and justice to the families of the deceased, heal the wounded, and protect the innocent. Please keep the people of Gaza in your duas.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news