The hospital said in a statement that “15 bodies of Palestinian martyrs have arrived at the Al-Nasser Medical Complex as part of the thirteenth series of body exchange agreements, bringing the total number of bodies received to 330 martyrs.”
According to the cease-fire agreement, Israel was to hand over the bodies of 15 Palestinians for every dead Israeli returned.
Israel confirmed overnight that Hamas fighters had returned the remains of Israeli hostage Meny Goddard, who was killed at the age of 73 on the day of the October 7, 2023, attack by Hamas on Israel.
The Israeli military informed Goddard’s family that “their loved one has been returned to Israel and his identification has been completed,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said.
At the start of the ceasefire, which took effect on October 10, Hamas was holding 20 live hostages and 28 bodies of dead prisoners.
He has since released all living hostages and returned the remains of 25 dead hostages, in accordance with the terms of the ceasefire.
In return, Israel released nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners it had been holding and returned the bodies of hundreds of dead Palestinians.
Israel has accused Hamas of delaying the return of the bodies of the dead hostages, while the Palestinian group says the process is slow because many are buried under the rubble of Gaza after two years of war, reports AFP.
(Vijesti.ba / FENA)
