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Hospital officials in Gaza say israel 30 dead bodies have been handed over PalestiniansA day after Palestinian militants in Gaza handed over the remains of two hostages to Israel.
Officials of Nasir Hospital in the southern city khan younis confirmed the bodies were found but did not immediately say what condition they were in or identify them.
The exchange of Palestinian remains for hostage remains is the latest sign that Israel is fearful –Hamas A ceasefire agreement is moving forward despite deadly Israeli attacks on Gaza this week.
Before Friday’s release, Israel had returned the bodies of 195 Palestinians to authorities in Gaza without releasing details about their identities. It is unclear whether the bodies returned by Israel were those killed in Israel during the October 7 attack, died as detainees in Israeli custody or were recovered from Gaza by troops during the war.
Health officials in Gaza are struggling to identify bodies without DNA kits.
In Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said late Thursday that the remains returned by Palestinian militants had been confirmed as those of Sahar Baruch and Amiram Cooper, both of whom were taken hostage during the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, that sparked the war.
Hamas has so far returned the remains of 17 hostages since the ceasefire began, while 11 others are still in Gaza and are set to be handed over under the terms of the deal.
Baruch was preparing to pursue an electrical engineering degree when he was taken hostage from Kibbutz Beeri. His brother Idan was killed in the attack. After Sahar was held captive for three months, the Israeli military said he was killed during a rescue operation. He was 25 years old.
Cooper was an economist and one of the founders of Kibbutz Nir Oz. He was captured along with his wife Nurit, who was released after 17 days. In June 2024, Israeli officials confirmed that he had been killed in Gaza. He was 84 years old.
US official says deadline for Hamas withdrawal from Israeli-controlled territory is approaching
A senior US official said messages sent by Egypt and Qatar to Hamas on Wednesday told the group that its remaining fighters in the yellow zone had 24 hours to leave or face Israeli attacks. That deadline expired Thursday, after which the official said, “Israel will enforce the ceasefire and target Hamas positions behind the yellow line.”
The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private diplomatic talks.
The ceasefire, which began on October 10, aims to end what has been the deadliest and most destructive war ever fought between Israel and Hamas.
The war began with an attack on Israel by Hamas-led militants in October 2023, killing about 1,200 people and taking 251 others hostage.
Over two years, Israel’s military offensive has killed more than 68,600 Palestinians in Gaza, according to Gaza’s health ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants. The ministry, which is part of the Hamas-run government and staffed by medical professionals, keeps detailed records generally considered reliable by independent experts. Israel, which some international critics accuse of carrying out genocide in Gaza, has disputed the figures without providing a contradictory toll.
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Frankel reported from Jerusalem. AP Diplomatic Writer Matthew Lee in Washington contributed to this report.
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Find more of AP’s Israel-Hamas coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-wa