Israel has transferred the bodies of 15 Palestinians on Wednesday following Hamas’ return of an Israeli hostage. The International Committee of the Red Cross facilitated the transfer to Gaza. Two hostages, one Israeli and one Thai national, are believed to still have their remains in Gaza, with Hamas committing to returning them. Discussions on the next phase of the ceasefire took place in Cairo among Turkish, Qatari, and Egyptian mediators. Plans for deploying an armed International Stabilization Force (ISF) and establishing an international body to govern Gaza and oversee reconstruction are in progress. Indonesia has announced its intention to deploy 20,000 peacekeepers to the ISF.
Challenges and uncertainties surround the ceasefire’s implementation timeline and various aspects of the plan. Under the truce agreement, Israel agreed to return 15 Palestinian bodies for each recovered hostage. The Gaza Health Ministry reported that 345 Palestinian bodies have been returned so far, with only 99 of them identified due to the lack of DNA testing kits in Gaza.
Israel mourned the loss of Dror Or, the latest hostage returned by Palestinian militants. Dror and his wife were killed by militants who attacked their community in October 2023. The couple saved their children before being killed, with two of them later released in a hostage deal. Dror was remembered as a devoted father, talented cheesemaker, chef, and yoga teacher.
With almost all hostages or their bodies recovered, Hamas reaffirmed its commitment to conclude the exchange by returning the remaining two hostages’ remains. The group urged mediators to press Israel to cease ceasefire violations. Meanwhile, Israeli troops fatally shot a Palestinian man in central Gaza, while targeting and eliminating militants in Rafah city.
Since the ceasefire began, Gaza has reported 345 Palestinian deaths and 889 injuries, with over 69,000 fatalities and 170,000 injuries due to Israel’s offensive. The majority of Palestinians are displaced and reliant on aid, with Hamas still exerting control over a significant part of Gaza, impeding the region’s reconstruction progress.
In a separate development, the Israeli military conducted an operation in Tubas, West Bank. The operation aimed to counter alleged attempts to establish terrorist strongholds in the area. This action follows previous military operations in Jenin and other northern West Bank cities. Human Rights Watch has accused Israel of war crimes in the West Bank, a claim denied by Israeli authorities.