GAZA CITY, Palestinian Territories: Israel returned the bodies of 30 Palestinians to Gaza on Wednesday, bringing the total number handed over under the ceasefire deal to 195, the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory said.
Under the deal brokered by US President Donald Trump, Israel was to turn over the bodies of 15 Palestinians for every deceased Israeli returned.
Israel’s military said Wednesday that the remains of two more hostages returned the day before from Gaza had been identified as those of Aryeh Zalmanovich and Master Sergeant Tamir Adar.
Since October 10, the remains of 15 hostages have been returned, out of the 28 pledged to be handed over by Hamas under the ceasefire deal.
Gaza’s health ministry said that 57 of the returned Palestinian bodies had so far been identified by their relatives, while 54 unidentified bodies had been buried on Wednesday.
Gaza’s civil defense agency, a rescue force operating under Hamas authority, said the funeral procession began at Nasser Hospital in the southern city of Khan Yunis and proceeded to a cemetery in Deir el-Balah, in central Gaza.
AFP footage from Nasser Hospital showed dozens of bodies laid out on the floor in white body bags as rescue workers stood in a line to pray over the dead.
Umm Hassan Hammad said she had been unable to identify the body of her son who has been missing since October 7, 2023.
“Every day I come here, maybe I recognize him from his clothes or the trousers he went out in since October 7,” she said.
Israel returns 30 Palestinian bodies to Gaza: health ministry in Hamas-run territory
https://arab.news/npyn9
Israel returns 30 Palestinian bodies to Gaza: health ministry in Hamas-run territory
- Gaza’s health ministry said that 57 of the returned Palestinian bodies had so far been identified by their relatives
- 54 unidentified bodies had been buried on Wednesday
Australia tells families of diplomats to leave Israel, Lebanon
- The government has also offered voluntary departures to Australian diplomats’ dependants in the UAE, Jordan and Qatar
- The Australian government continues to advise citizens in Israel and Lebanon to consider leaving
JERUSALEM: The Australian government has told dependants of Australian diplomats in Israel and Lebanon to leave the two Middle East countries, citing a deteriorating security situation in the region, the foreign ministry said on Wednesday.
The government has also offered voluntary departures to Australian diplomats’ dependants in the United Arab Emirates, Jordan and Qatar, it said on an official ministry X account.
US President Donald Trump laid out his case for a possible attack on Iran in his State of the Union speech to Congress on Tuesday, saying he would not allow the world’s biggest sponsor of terrorism to have a nuclear weapon.
Iran and the United States resumed negotiations earlier this month as Washington builds up military capability in the Middle East. Iran has threatened to strike US bases in the region if it is attacked, but Tehran’s top diplomat said on Tuesday that a deal with the US was “within reach” if diplomacy is prioritized.
The Australian government continues to advise citizens in Israel and Lebanon to consider leaving while commercial options are still available, the foreign ministry said.
The announcements were made in a series of posts on the foreign ministry’s Smartraveler X account.
