Gaza medics find signs of torture on Palestinian bodies returned by Israel

Health officials successful Gaza accidental galore of the 90 returned bodies bore marks of unit and imaginable executions.

Gaza’s Ministry of Health says it has received the remains of 45 Palestinians who were held successful Israeli custody via the International Committee of the Red Cross, bringing the full fig of bodies returned to 90 arsenic portion of a United States-brokered ceasefire deal.

Medical teams are continuing to examine, papers and hole the bodies for transportation to families “in enactment with approved aesculapian procedures and protocols”, the Health Ministry said successful a connection connected Wednesday.

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Under a ceasefire woody backed by US President Donald Trump and aimed astatine ending the two-year Gaza war, Israel was to crook implicit the bodies of 15 Palestinians for each deceased Israeli returned. The remains of 45 radical were returned connected Monday.

Palestinians awaited accusation astir the bodies that arrived astatine Nasser Hospital connected Tuesday and Wednesday. The forensics squad described disturbing conditions, bearing signs of carnal abuse.

Some of the Palestinian bodies were blindfolded and handcuffed, indicating “field executions” whitethorn person taken place, aesculapian sources told Al Jazeera.

Israel is expected to manus implicit much bodies, though officials person not said however galore are successful its custody oregon however galore volition beryllium returned. It remains unclear whether the bodies were dug up from cemeteries by the Israeli service during its crushed violative oregon if they beryllium to detainees who were killed during the Israeli assault. Throughout the war, Israel’s subject has exhumed bodies arsenic portion of its hunt for the remains of captives.

As forensic teams examined the archetypal remains returned, the Health Ministry connected Wednesday released images of 32 unidentified bodies to assistance families recognise missing relatives.

Many appeared decomposed oregon burned. Some were missing limbs oregon teeth, portion others were coated successful soil and dust. Health officials person said Israeli restrictions connected allowing DNA investigating instrumentality into Gaza person often forced morgues to trust connected carnal features and covering for identification.

The forensics squad that received the bodies said immoderate arrived inactive shackled oregon bearing signs of carnal abuse.

“There are signs of torture and executions,” Sameh Hamad, a subordinate of a committee tasked with receiving the bodies astatine Nasser Hospital, said.

The bodies belonged to men aged 25 to 70. Most had bands connected their necks, including 1 who had a enactment astir his neck. Most of the bodies wore civilian clothing, but immoderate were successful uniforms, suggesting they were Palestinian fighters.

Hamad said the Red Cross provided names for lone 3 of the dead, leaving galore families uncertain of their relatives’ fate.

Israel’s warfare connected Gaza has killed astir 68,000 Palestinians since October 2023, according to the Health Ministry. Palestinian officials accidental the existent toll could beryllium acold higher, with tens of thousands of bodies believed to beryllium nether the rubble.

Thousands much radical are missing, according to the Red Cross and Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics.

Rasmiya Qudeih, 52, waited extracurricular Nasser Hospital, hoping her lad would beryllium among the 45 bodies transferred from Israel connected Wednesday.

He vanished connected October 7, 2023, the time of the Hamas-led attack. She was told helium was killed by an Israeli strike.

“God willing, helium volition beryllium with the bodies,” she said.

The Health Ministry released a video showing aesculapian workers examining the bodies, saying the remains would beryllium returned to families oregon buried if near unidentified.

Rights groups and a United Nations Commission of Inquiry person accused Israel of committing genocide successful Gaza, and South Africa has filed a lawsuit alleging Israel committed genocide astatine the International Court of Justice. Israel denies the accusations.