Nasser Hospital receives Bodies of 15 Palestinians Returned by Israel
Khan Younis, Gaza – November 4, 2023 – Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis confirmed today it has received the bodies of 15 Palestinians returned by Israel as part of the ongoing ceasefire agreement. The return of the bodies is connected to the release of hostages held by Hamas.
As the truce began,Hamas has released 20 surviving hostages in exchange for the release of nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and has begun returning the remains of those killed. Of the 28 bodies involved in the exchange, 20 have already been returned, including 18 Israelis, one Thai and one Nepalese. Eight dead hostages remain to be handed over to Israel.
The Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades, the military branch of Hamas, announced earlier Tuesday that it would return the body of a hostage captured on October 7, 2023, and taken to Gaza at 8 p.m. local time (7 p.m. in Paris). The brigades specified they “will hand over the body of one of the prisoners of the occupation which was found in the Chadjaya neighborhood in eastern Gaza City” on their Telegram channel.
Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem said in a statement, “We continue to work towards completing the process of handing over the bodies of Israeli captives despite the difficulties and obstacles, and we are working to complete the entire exchange process as soon as possible.”
