GAZA/JERUSALEM, Nov. 8 (Xinhua) -- Israel handed over the remains of 15 Palestinians to the Gaza Strip through the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) on Saturday, a day after Palestinian militants returned the remains of an Israeli hostage under the ongoing ceasefire agreement.
The handover followed Israel's confirmation that the remains transferred by Hamas the previous night belonged to a reserve soldier killed during the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
The hostage was identified as 61-year-old Lior Rudaeff, whose body had been held by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad group, according to a statement by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).
The latest exchange brings the total number of Palestinian bodies returned to 300, while 23 hostage bodies have so far been returned to Israel.
The remains of four Israelis and one Thai national are still in Gaza, out of 28 hostage bodies that Hamas is obligated to return under the ceasefire agreement that took effect on Oct. 10.
In addition to the deceased, Hamas has released 20 living Israeli captives, while Israel has freed 250 Palestinian prisoners serving long sentences and 1,718 detainees from Gaza as part of the truce deal. ■
