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Israel returns 15 more Palestinian bodies showing 'signs of torture,' Gaza ministry says

Iran Press TV

Sunday, 09 November 2025 7:52 AM

Gaza's Health Ministry says it has received the remains of 15 more Palestinians from Israel through the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), confirming the bodies bore "signs of torture."

The ministry said in a statement that the new transfer on Saturday brought the number of Palestinian bodies returned by Israel to 300 since the ceasefire took effect on October 10.

Forensic teams have so far identified 89 bodies and are continuing examinations "in accordance with approved medical procedures and protocols" before the remains are documented and released to families, the ministry added.

The official Palestinian WAFA news agency also cited medical sources in the Gaza Strip hospitals as confirming that they had received the bodies of 15 Palestinians released by the regime's authorities through the ICRC.

The sources said the bodies arrived at Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip.

The latest transfer marks the 11th batch of bodies handed over by Israel, with Palestinian authorities reporting signs of abuse on many of the released bodies, including beatings, blindfolds, and facial disfigurement.

"Most of the bodies showed signs of torture, burning, and execution," WAFA said. "Many had their hands and eyes bound, and their features were unrecognizable due to the severity of the torture, preventing families from identifying most of them."

Media reports stressed that families have been trying to identify the remains of their relatives by physical markings or clothing, as forensic facilities in Gaza remain out of service due to a years-long Israeli blockade and the destruction of laboratories.

After the Israeli regime began returning mutilated bodies of Palestinian abductees as part of the ceasefire, medical examinations revealed that the occupying forces had removed organs from several martyrs, including corneas, kidneys, and livers.

According to the Gaza Media Office, the bodies arrived in deplorable condition—many blindfolded, bound, hanged, shot at close range, or showing signs of prolonged torture leading to death.

Some were returned without heads, limbs, or internal organs, while others were melted or unrecognizable.

Forensic teams in Gaza also documented clear tank-track imprints on several of the returned bodies, suggesting that some victims had been crushed under military vehicles.

Dr. Ismail al-Thawabta, Director General of the Media Office, said in a live broadcast last month that these findings strongly indicate systematic organ harvesting by Israeli occupation forces—crimes that must be documented and presented before international courts.

Before the ceasefire, Israel held 735 Palestinian bodies in so-called "cemeteries of numbers," according to the Palestinian National Campaign to Retrieve Martyrs' Bodies.

The Israeli daily Haaretz said the occupation army has been holding about 1,500 bodies of Palestinians from Gaza at the notorious Sde Teiman military base in the southern occupied territories.

Since the beginning of the Israeli aggression on October 7, 2023, the death toll in the Gaza Strip has continued to rise, reaching 69,169, the majority of whom were women and children. At least 170,685 others have also been injured.