In a significant development following recent hostilities, Israel has returned the bodies of 15 Palestinians who died in the Gaza Strip, coinciding with the recovery of the last hostage’s remains. These actions are seen as a hopeful step towards implementing the next phase of a peace plan endorsed by US President Donald Trump.

Among those taken hostage during the conflict was police officer Ron Gvili. He was one of the 251 individuals captured and transported to Gaza by Hamas militants during their cross-border attack on October 7, 2023, which ignited the war.

When a ceasefire was brokered in October between Israel and Hamas, 48 hostages were still held in Gaza. Of these, 28 were presumed dead, with Gvili among them.

The initial phase of the ceasefire agreement required the exchange of all remaining hostages, both living and deceased.

However, the next steps of the peace process are still pending, with significant disagreements persisting, particularly concerning the disarmament of Hamas.

The end of the hostage-detainee exchange

In a statement, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said it had facilitated the return of 15 deceased Palestinians ‍to the Gaza Strip after Israel recovered Gvili’s remains.

“This marks the completion of a months-long operation that reunited families and supported the implementation of the ceasefire agreement,” the ICRC statement added.

The operation began in October with the release of 20 living hostages by Hamas and 1,808 Palestinian prisoners by Israel, the ICRC said.

In subsequent phases, the ICRC smoothed returns of the deceased, including 27 of 28 hostages and 360 Palestinians.

“We are relieved to have helped reunite families with their loved ones. For families whose deceased relatives were ‌returned, we hope this brought the possibility to fully mourn,” Julien Lerisson, ICRC’s regional head, said.

The health ministry in Gaza confirmed it had received the 15 bodies, saying it would now try to identify them.

Only 99 of the Palestinian bodies handed over since October have been identified, it added, with health officials forced to bury ‍unidentified bodies in mass graves.

Ongoing violence

In the latest violence rattling the fragile ceasefire, medics said two men were killed by Israeli forces in eastern Khan Younis, in an area adjacent to where the army operates.

The Israeli military told the Reuters news agency it was unaware of any casualties as a result of Israeli fire on Thursday.

The Gazan health ministry said Israeli air strikes, tank shelling and gunfire have killed at least 490 people since the truce took effect in October after two years of war that widely demolished the Palestinian enclave.

Later in the day, an Israeli air strike killed at least one Palestinian and wounded others in the Maghazi camp of the central part of the Gaza Strip.

It was unclear what prompted the attack, and the Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Israel said four soldiers have been killed by Palestinian militants in the small coastal territory during the ceasefire.

The two sides have traded blame over the truce violations.

By advancing to phase two, the US and mediator partners Egypt and Qatar must confront the more contentious issue of Hamas ‍disarmament, which the group has rejected.

The plan also calls for deploying an international peacekeeping force.

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