Gaza’s Health Ministry says it also received the remains of 45 Palestinians from Israel through the Red Cross.Israel has released five Palestinian prisoners as part of a fragile ceasefire deal with Hamas, offering a rare moment of relief for the families in Gaza.The five men, freed on Monday evening, were taken to Al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir el-Balah for medical examinations, Al Jazeera’s Hind Khoudary reported from outside the facility.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of listRelatives gathered at the hospital, some embracing the freed prisoners, while others anxiously sought information about missing family members.“This is the first time since the ceasefire that Israeli forces have released unknown Palestinian prisoners,” said Khoudary.Thousands of Palestinians remain imprisoned in Israel, many held without charge under what rights groups call arbitrary detention.Israel returns remains of PalestiniansEarlier on Monday, Gaza’s Health Ministry said it received the remains of 45 Palestinians from Israel through the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), bringing the total number of bodies handed over under the ceasefire agreement to 270.Forensic teams have identified 78 bodies so far and will continue their examinations “in accordance with approved medical procedures and protocols” before returning the remains to families, the ministry said in a statement on Monday.Officials previously reported that many of the returned bodies bore evidence of torture and abuse, including bound hands, blindfolds, and facial disfigurement, and were handed back without identification tags.The handover forms part of the first phase of the ceasefire agreement that took effect on October 10, which includes prisoner and body exchanges mediated by Turkiye, Egypt, and Qatar, with involvement from the United States. Advertisement Reporting from Deir el-Balah in central Gaza, Khoudary said, “Many of the bodies returned show signs of torture.” She added that families of missing Palestinians are still searching fo …
