Israel takes full credit for locating policeman’s body in Gaza
Israel says it solely identified the remains of captive Ran Gvili this week. Both Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, however, said they provided Israel – through mediators – with information to locate the body.
Al-Quds Brigades, Islamic Jihad’s military wing, said it shared coordinates with Israel through Arab mediators. Hamas said it also provided information.
Two unnamed US officials credited Egypt, Qatar and Turkiye with helping to get Hamas to release Gvili’s body, The Associated Press reported.
Residents living near the cemetery where Gvili’s body was discovered said Palestinian remains exhumed during the search were left exposed without reburial.
“Our dead are in the open,” said Mohamed Matter, whose relatives are buried in the cemetery. He and others said they attempted to reach the area but were turned away by Israeli forces.
Two people were killed in an Israeli drone strike while attempting to reach the cemetery, and were taken to al-Shifa Hospital, where they were pronounced dead, according to hospital officials.
Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem said on Tuesday that Israeli forces exhumed “hundreds of graves” calling it a pattern of showing disrespect to the dead.
‘Every day we are collecting bones’
Amjad Shawa, director of the Palestinian NGOs Network in Gaza, says many families are still suffering because they haven’t recovered the remains of their loved ones, even as Israel retrieved the body of its last captive from the territory.
He noted there are an estimated 10,000 bodies still buried under the rubble in Gaza, where rescuers lack adequate equipment and access to dig them out.
“Almost every day we are collecting bones from different areas … and we cannot identify them while their mothers are waiting,” Shawa told Al Jazeera from Gaza City.
“It’s a very critical moment that we are passing through,” he added. “Times are painful … until we manage to get these bodies back and bury them.”
Gaza City residents navigate life amid wreckage
