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Israel handed over the bodies of 15 Palestinians on Wednesday, a day after Hamas returned the remains of an Israeli hostage.
The International Committee of the Red Cross said it helped transfer the bodies to Gaza.
The remains of two hostages, one Israeli and a Thai national, are believed to still be in Gaza. Hamas said Wednesday it was determined to uphold its side of the agreement and return them both.
Meanwhile, Turkish, Qatari and Egyptian mediators met in Cairo on Tuesday to discuss the second phase of the ceasefire.
The next phases will include deploying an armed International Stabilization Force, or ISF, and developing an international body to govern Gaza and oversee reconstruction. The ISF will be tasked with keeping security and ensuring the disarmament of Hamas — a key demand of Israel. Indonesian officials have said they plan to deploy 20,000 peacekeepers to the force.
Major questions hang over nearly every part of the plan and the time frame for implementation of the fragile ceasefire that has held despite accusations of violations by both sides.
Israel has agreed to return 15 Palestinian bodies for each hostage recovered under the truce plan. So far, 345 Palestinian bodies have been returned, said the Gaza Health Ministry.
Of the 345 bodies, only 99 have been identified, according to the ministry. It says identifying the remains is complicated by a lack of DNA testing kits in Gaza.
Hostage remains identified
Meanwhile, Israel mourned Dror Or, the latest hostage returned by the Palestinian militants. Israel’s military said Or and his wife, Yonat Or, were killed by militants who overran their community of Kibbutz Be’eri on Oct. 7, 2023.
Before they were killed, the couple evacuated two of their children from their burning house through a window, said the Hostages Families Forum. The decision ultimately saved the children, Alma and Noam, who were abducted by the militants and released in a hostage deal in November 2023.
The forum remembered Or as a devoted father and talented cheesemaker who spent years working at the Be’eri dairy, eventually managing it. The group said Or was also a chef and yoga teacher.
In total, Palestinian militants killed some 1,200 people across southern Israel and abducted 251 to Gaza in their attack that set off the war in Gaza.
With the return of Or’s remains, almost all of the hostages or their bodies have been recovered.
Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem said Wednesday that the militant group was committed to handing over the remains of the two hostages and wrapping up the exchange. He called for mediators to pressure Israel to stop its “violations” of the ceasefire, in a post on Telegram.
Palestinian man killed in Israeli fire
Also Wednesday, Israeli troops opened fire on a group of people in central Gaza, killing a Palestinian man, a hospital said.
At least two others were wounded in the attack that took place east of the Maghazi refugee camp, according to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, which received the casualties, the latest among Palestinians since the ceasefire was reached.
Israel’s military said it did not have enough information about the incident to comment.
The military further said Wednesday its troops targeted a group of six militants in the southern city of Rafah, killing one. The military statement said that the militants had “most likely emerged from the underground terror infrastructure in the area.” Troops then searched a nearby building, killing three more and apprehending two, it said.
In the meantime, nearly all Palestinians remain displaced and dependent on humanitarian aid, Hamas retains significant control over nearly half of Gaza and the rebuilding of the territory has barely begun.
Since the truce took effect, the Gaza Health Ministry said, 345 Palestinians were killed and 889 were wounded in the strip as of Tuesday.
It said at least 69,775 Palestinians have been killed and 170,863 injured in Israel’s offensive in Gaza.
Israeli military launches new operation West Bank
Israeli security forces launched a new operation in the northern West Bank on Wednesday, amid escalating violence in the region.
Tubas Governor Ahmed Al-Asaad told Reuters Israeli forces, backed by a helicopter that had opened fire, were encircling the city and establishing positions across several neighbourhoods.
The Israeli military said in an earlier statement that the operation, carried out with police and intelligence forces, began early on Wednesday morning. Asked about the operation, a military spokesperson declined to comment, saying more details would be released soon.
Israel has said its security forces have been targeting Palestinian militancy in the West Bank, where hundreds of thousands of Israeli settlers live among 2.7 million Palestinians, granted limited self-rule under Israeli military occupation.
Israel’s expulsion of tens of thousands of Palestinians from three West Bank refugee camps in early 2025 amounts to war crimes and crimes against humanity, Human Rights Watch said in a report released Thursday.
The assault on Tubas appeared to be an extension of a military operation launched by security forces in the northern West Bank city of Jenin in January.
That operation has since expanded to other Palestinian cities in the north of the Israeli-occupied West Bank, forcing thousands from their homes, with Israeli forces maintaining their longest presence in some West Bank cities for decades.
Israeli forces have cleared out refugee camps across the northern West Bank, with deadly raids destroying roads and homes. Human Rights Watch this month accused Israel of war crimes and crimes against humanity over what it said were forced expulsions. Israel denies committing such crimes.