Israel returned the bodies of 15 Palestinians to Gaza on Thursday, Gaza Health Ministry spokesperson Zaher al-Wahidi said, days after Israeli forces recovered the remains of the last Israeli hostage. The transfer marked what Gaza and Israeli officials described as the final hostage-detainee exchange between Israel and Hamas under the first phase of a U.S.-brokered ceasefire reached in October, with the Red Cross saying it helped facilitate the handover.
The bodies were taken to Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, al-Wahidi said, after Israel turned over the remains. The ceasefire terms that governed the swap, he and the report said, required Israel to return 15 Palestinian bodies for each hostage recovered. It remained unclear, however, whether the bodies returned on Thursday were of Palestinian detainees who died in Israeli custody or bodies taken from Gaza by Israeli troops during the war.
Families in Gaza have faced difficulty identifying the dead returned from exchanges. The Gaza Health Ministry, part of the Hamas-run government, has posted photos of the deceased for families to identify, al-Wahidi said, adding that about 100 of the bodies handed back by Israel had been identified by families.
Israel’s return of Gvili’s remains earlier this week closed the last hostage swap that had been part of the first ceasefire phase MSI previously reported. On Monday, Israel announced it had found and identified the remains of Ran Gvili, a 24-year-old police officer known as “Rani,” following an extensive search at a cemetery in northern Gaza.
The Hamas-led attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, which started the war, killed about 1,200 people and left 251 people taken hostage. Gvili was killed while fighting Hamas militants, according to the report, and his body’s return was described as clearing the way for the next and more complex stage of the ceasefire, which includes deploying an international security force, disarming Hamas, pulling back Israeli soldiers and rebuilding Gaza.
As the ceasefire transition continues, Israeli fire and strikes have still been killing Palestinians across Gaza almost daily, according to hospital and other health officials. On Thursday, Israeli fire killed two Palestinians in Khan Younis in southern Gaza, the Nasser Hospital said, and the report said the men were killed in areas not controlled by Israel. Another Israeli strike in central Gaza killed one Palestinian and wounded others, Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital said.
Israel’s military said it carried out a “precise strike” on Thursday aimed at a suspect planning to attack troops in the southern Gaza Strip. It also said it killed a person who crossed the ceasefire line and approached troops.
The Gaza Health Ministry said that 492 Palestinians have been killed since the ceasefire began, and it does not distinguish between civilians and combatants in its figures. The ministry maintains detailed casualty records that the U.N. agencies and independent experts generally regard as reliable.
The report also highlighted uncertainty around the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt, which Israeli officials have said is expected to reopen soon. For Palestinians hoping to leave the enclave and those outside Gaza trying to return home, the resumption of movement at Rafah has been closely watched; however, the number of people allowed to enter and leave remained unclear.
Preparations were underway to allow the departure of a limited number of medical evacuees wounded in the war who need treatment abroad, the report said. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, however, said the crossing would not be open to goods for now, and the report said it has been largely closed since May 2024.