Mass funeral held in Gaza for Palestinian prisoner remains returned by Israel as Palestinian officials allege signs of torture
A collective funeral ceremony was held Wednesday in Deir al-Balah, in central Gaza, for 54 unidentified Palestinians whose bodies were returned from Israel, the Palestinian Civil Defense (PCD) reported.
Not all of the Palestinian bodies returned by Israel could be identified by their families "due to the severe circumstances" surrounding their deaths, according to the PCD.
As the funeral was ongoing, the Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis announced that Israel handed over the bodies of 30 other Palestinian prisoners as a part of President Trump's peace deal.
That brings the total number of Palestinian bodies returned to the Strip to 165, according to Gaza's government media office.
The return of the remains of deceased Palestinians is part of President Trump’s 20-point peace plan, which states that “For every Israeli hostage whose remains are released, Israel will release the remains of 15 deceased Gazans."
The plan adds that “once all hostages are released, Israel will release 250 life sentence prisoners plus 1,700 Gazans who were detained after Oct. 7th, 2023, including all women and children detained in that context.”
According to reports from the Gaza Media Office and the Hamas-run Gaza Ministry of Health, the returned bodies showed signs of abuse, beating, handcuffing, blindfolding, and hanging around the neck.
Rejecting reports of any torture, the Israeli military told ABC News in a statement on Wednesday that "the IDF did not tie any bodies prior to their release to the Strip," adding that they operate "strictly in accordance with international law."
As the fragile Israel-Hamas peace plan faces accusations of violations from both sides, the families of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners continue to wait for the return of their loved ones’ remains.
Currently, the bodies of 13 Israelis remain in the Gaza Strip. The Israeli military confirmed the identities of two hostages whose bodies were returned by Hamas on Tuesday.
