Doctors in Gaza say nearly all of the 90 bodies of Palestinians returned to Gaza by Israel as part of the ceasefire deal have evidence of torture and execution, the Guardian reports. The bodies, which arrived at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis via the International Committee of the Red Cross, were reportedly blindfolded, had their hands bound, and bore gunshot wounds to the head, according to medical staff.
Dr. Ahmed al-Farra, head of the hospital's pediatric department, said the injuries pointed to executions and alleged the bodies showed evidence of beatings as well as post-mortem abuse. He adds that Israel provided only numbered tags, not names, for the returned Palestinians, and that Gaza hospitals, unable to conduct DNA analysis due to war damage, have no way to verify identities. Hospital staff are now asking families of missing men to help with identification. Photos may ultimately be posted online to allow people to search for family members, the BBC reports.
The Israel Defense Forces referred questions about the latest allegations to the Israel Prison Service, which has not yet responded. The body exchange was part of a US-brokered truce in which Hamas also returned the remains of Israeli hostages, though 19 or more remain unaccounted for. Under the deal, Israel would return 15 bodies for every one Israeli body released by Hamas, Al Jazeera reports. Meanwhile, the International Criminal Court is investigating war crime allegations from both the Israeli and Palestinian sides, including a recent case in which 15 Palestinian paramedics and rescue workers were found bound and shot in a shallow grave.
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