More than 69,000 Palestinians have lost their lives in the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, as confirmed by Gaza health officials on Saturday. The recent surge in casualties is attributed to the recovery of bodies in the war-torn Gaza Strip since the ceasefire came into effect on October 10. Additionally, the death toll includes Palestinians who were killed in Israeli airstrikes targeting alleged militants.
In a reciprocal gesture, Israel handed over the remains of 15 Palestinians to Gaza on Saturday, following the return of a hostage’s remains to Israel by militants a day earlier. The hostage was identified as Lior Rudaeff, a statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office revealed. According to the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, Rudaeff was originally from Argentina.
The ceasefire agreement stipulates the prompt return of all hostage remains by Hamas, marking a critical phase in the peace process. Families and supporters gathered in Tel Aviv on Saturday night to advocate for the return of all remains.
The truce aims to de-escalate the intense conflict, which began with a Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, resulting in approximately 1,200 fatalities and 251 individuals being taken hostage, according to Israeli reports.
Furthermore, violence escalated as Israeli settlers launched two separate attacks on Palestinian farmers and civilians in the occupied West Bank during the annual olive harvest. For each Israeli hostage returned, Israel reciprocated by releasing the remains of 15 Palestinians. Ahmed Dheir, the director of forensic medicine at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, reported that 300 sets of remains have been repatriated, with 89 of them positively identified.
The ongoing identification process faces challenges due to limited resources and DNA matching capabilities. Unidentified remains will be interred collectively. Families anxiously searched through decomposed remains, hoping to find their missing loved ones amidst the grim aftermath.
Gaza’s Health Ministry disclosed that the death toll in the region has now risen to 69,169 since the conflict began. The ministry, overseen by the Hamas administration and staffed by medical professionals, meticulously maintains records, deemed reliable by outside experts.
In the past few days, Gaza hospitals received 10 bodies, indicating the enduring impact of the conflict. Since the ceasefire initiation, 241 individuals have lost their lives in Gaza, with many others still unaccounted for.