Gaza authorities struggle to identify 80 dead bodies returned by Israel

Palestinians hold mass burial at Tel al Sultan Cemetery in Rafah, Gaza on December 26, 2023, for 80 Palestinians whose bodies were dispatched by Israel to Gaza. (Photo/AA)

Israel has handed over the bodies of 80 Palestinians killed in the Gaza war, the Palestinian Ministry of Health said after they were buried and the authorities recorded details to help with later identification.

Gaza authorities were trying to figure out when and where the men were killed and who they were.

Israeli officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The ministry said the bodies were handed over by Israel through the Kerem Shalom border crossing.

According to the Islamic Waqf, or religious affairs ministry, the bodies had been collected from the northern part of Gaza.

A rare return

It is rare for such a large number of bodies to be returned.

They were buried on Tuesday in a long ditch at a Rafah cemetery in the south of the enclave.

"Pictures are being taken to identify them later," a representative of the Gaza Islamic Waqf said.

Palestinian health authorities say over 21,000 people have been killed in Israeli strikes, with thousands more feared buried under rubble.

Nearly all the enclave's 2.3 million people have been driven from their homes, many several times.

Israel claims that it is doing what it can to protect civilians, and blames Hamas for putting them in harm's way by operating among them, which Hamas denies.

The Israel government says its aim is to destroy Hamas despite global calls for a ceasefire in the 11 week old war.

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Source: TRT