Israel hands over bodies of 45 Palestinians after remains of soldiers returned

Israel has handed over the bodies of 45 Palestinians, according to the Red Cross, a day after militants returned the remains of three hostages.

Israeli officials identified the three as soldiers who were killed in the Hamas-led attack on October 7 2023 that triggered the war.

The exchange marked another step forward for the tenuous US-brokered ceasefire intended to end the deadliest and most destructive war ever fought between Israel and Hamas.

Since the truce took effect on October 10, Palestinian militants have released the remains of 20 hostages, with eight now still remaining in Gaza.

For each hostage returned, Israel has been releasing the remains of 15 Palestinians. Monday’s return brought the number of Palestinian bodies handed back since the ceasefire began to 270.

The Red Cross said it had facilitated the transfer of 45 Palestinian bodies to Gaza on Monday morning.

Zaher al-Wahidi, a spokesperson at the Gaza Health Ministry, told the Associated Press that Nasser Hospital received the bodies around noon.

Only 78 of the bodies returned so far have been identified, the ministry said. Forensic work is complicated by a lack of DNA testing kits in Gaza, it added.

Meanwhile, the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu identified the three hostages returned to Israel on Sunday night as Capt Omer Neutra, an American-Israeli, Staff Sgt Oz Daniel and Col Assaf Hamami.

A Hamas statement earlier said their remains were found on Sunday in a tunnel in southern Gaza.

Capt Neutra, an American-Israeli, was 21 when Hamas militants abducted him and the rest of his tank crew on October 7 2023. In December 2024, the military announced he had been killed in the attack that started the war.

US President Donald Trump said on Sunday he had spoken with Capt Neutra’s family, describing their relief and heartbreak.

“They were thrilled, in one sense, but in another sense, obviously, it’s not too great,” Mr Trump said.

Staff Sgt Daniel, 19, was pulled by militants from his tank and taken into Gaza, along with three others of his crew. He is survived by his parents and twin sister. The remains of the others were returned earlier.

Col Hamami, commander of Israel’s southern brigade in the Gaza division, died early on October 7 2023, in fighting to defend Kibbutz Nirim. Col Hamami and two of his soldiers were killed and their bodies were taken to Gaza. He is survived by his wife and three children.

Militants have released one or two bodies every few days. Israel has urged for faster progress, and in certain cases it has said the remains were not those of any hostage. Hamas has said the work is complicated by widespread devastation.

The exchange of hostage remains for Palestinian bodies has been the central part of the initial phase of the US-brokered ceasefire.

The 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.

Multiple nations have shown interest in taking part in a peacekeeping force but have called for a clear UN Security Council mandate before committing troops.

Other difficult questions include Hamas’s disarmament and the governance of a post-war Gaza, as well as when and how humanitarian aid will be increased.

British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper will visit Jordan on Monday and call on Israel to allow more aid into Gaza. She is expected to visit a warehouse where British aid remains stuck waiting to enter Gaza.

Ahead of the visit, Ms Cooper said that “humanitarian support is desperately needed and the people of Gaza cannot afford to wait”.

“Following the US-led peace process and the plans for a substantial increase in aid for Gaza, we need an increase in crossings, an acceleration in lifting of restrictions and more agencies able to go in with aid,” Ms Cooper said.

She also announced that Britain will provide an extra £6 million of humanitarian support for Gaza, provided by the UN Population Fund.

Also on Monday, Gaza’s health ministry announced that a campaign to vaccinate some 40,000 Palestinian children under three years old against preventable diseases such as measles, polio and meningitis will kick off next week.

It will focus on children who missed routine vaccinations or received only partial doses due to the war, Dr Nedal Ghoneim, the health ministry’s public health manager, told AP.

The exact number of children in need of routine vaccinations is unknown due to the challenges of record-keeping during the war, said Dr Ghoneim.

The Hamas-led attack on southern Israel two years ago killed about 1,200 people and saw 251 taken hostage.

Israel’s military offensive has killed more than 68,800 Palestinians in Gaza, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants.

The ministry, part of the Hamas-run government and staffed by medical professionals, maintains detailed records viewed as generally reliable by independent experts.

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.