Gaza death toll rises
At least 68,875 people have been killed and 170,679 wounded by Israeli attacks across Gaza since October 2023, the Palestinian Health Ministry says, adding:
- Hospitals in Gaza received the bodies of three Palestinians and two wounded people in the latest 24-hour reporting period.
- Numerous victims are still under the rubble and in the streets because ambulance and Civil Defence crews are unable to reach them.
Israel returns bodies of 15 Palestinians to Gaza
Israel has handed over the remains of 15 Palestinians, a day after Hamas returned the body of an Israeli-American soldier. Health officials at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis confirmed the news.
The return brings the total number of Palestinian bodies returned to Gaza as part of the ceasefire to 285, according to The Associated Press.
Fifteen bodies have arrived at Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis on November 5
Majority of Palestinian bodies returned are disfigured, some handcuffed
There’s a huge difference between the Palestinian bodies and the Israeli bodies being returned.
When it comes to the Israeli bodies, we know their identity and where they were killed because Hamas has given all the details. But when it comes to the Palestinian bodies, most of them are unidentified despite the fact that many families are going to Nasser Hospital to try to identify them.
These Palestinians only have numbers on their shrouds, and no one knows who they are. Doctors say there are signs of torture, and most of the bodies have been disfigured. The doctors also say some of the bodies came handcuffed with ropes.
Bodies of Palestinians returned to Gaza by Israel under the ceasefire agreement earlier today were so badly decomposed they were difficult to identify, an official at Gaza’s Health Ministry has told Al Jazeera. The ministry official, head of the committee for the management of returned bodies, said one of the returned bodies was missing a head.
Health officials say efforts to identify the remains have also been hindered because Israel is not allowing DNA testing equipment into the Gaza Strip.
The number of bodies received by the Palestinian Health Ministry is 285, most of whom have not been recognised. Those who remain unidentified will be buried in a mass grave in Deir el-Balah.
Israeli army says it killed two Palestinians in central Gaza
The Israeli army says it has killed two Palestinians in separate incidents in central Gaza earlier today, claiming they had approached soldiers “in a manner that posed an immediate threat”.
In a statement, the military accused the men of crossing the ceasefire’s yellow line near Israeli positions and were “eliminated” shortly after being spotted.
Dozens of Palestinians have been killed since the October 10 ceasefire began for breaching or coming too close to the so-called yellow line, which is the name Israel has given to the line behind which its forces have withdrawn. Little information has been given about the location of this line, and it is still being physically marked on the ground, presenting another deadly hazard for Palestinians.
Hamas transfers body of deceased captive to Red Cross for return to Israel
Hamas has handed over a coffin containing what the group says is the body of a deceased captive to the Red Cross to be returned to Israel, the Israeli military and Al Jazeera teams are reporting.
The transfer comes after Hamas retrieved the captive’s remains as agreed under the ceasefire deal. The body is the 22nd of 28 deceased captives to be returned under the agreement, leaving six to be returned.
