Families ‘inconsolable’ in Gaza as Israel returns more unidentified bodies | Israel-Palestine conflict News
Israel Returns Bodies of Palestinians to Gaza, Sparking Grief and Outrage
Gaza City – Israeli authorities have returned dozens of Palestinian bodies and human remains to Gaza without providing information about their identities or circumstances of death, according to Palestinian medical officials.
The remains were delivered to al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City on Wednesday in plain white bags. Forensic teams are currently examining the bodies in an effort to identify them and provide answers to mourning families.
“The bags carry the weight of lives lost,” said Al Jazeera correspondent Ibrahim al-Khalili, who reported from the hospital on Saturday. “Now they’re undergoing examination, prolonging the grief of families desperate for closure.”
Palestinian medics reported that several of the bodies displayed signs of mutilation and abuse. Forensic official Omar Suleiman indicated that the International Committee of the Red Cross facilitated the transfer of 120 body bags containing 54 bodies, alongside skull samples in 66 separate bags.
Previous exchanges of bodies of Palestinian prisoners have often revealed extensive signs of abuse, including indications of torture and execution. In November, the rights group Physicians for Human Rights-Israel published a report stating that at least 94 Palestinian detainees had died in Israeli custody, citing causes such as torture, medical neglect, malnutrition, and physical assault. The organization noted that the actual death toll could be significantly higher.
Search for Missing Relatives
For many families in Gaza, the search for missing relatives has shifted from debris-strewn streets to computer screens and makeshift identification centers. One such individual, Shadi al-Fayoumi, searched through graphic images at al-Shifa, hoping to identify his missing brothers.
“My brothers have been missing for 10 months. They disappeared in the Tuffah neighborhood,” he said. Al-Fayoumi explained that his brothers had ventured out in search of food and water during a severe famine last year but never returned.
Though al-Fayoumi visited the medical complex, he described the images as unclear and lacking discernible features, raising concerns about the possibility of identification.
“We contacted multiple institutions, but none were willing to help or provide reliable information,” he added.
Al-Khalili reported that al-Fayoumi’s mother has been inconsolable. “His brothers’ children are silent, unwilling to voice their worst fears,” he stated. “Israeli forces hand over the bodies of Palestinians with little regard for human dignity. There is no information on how they died or how long they were held, leaving families with unanswered questions and profound sorrow.”
