Title: Gaza's Health Ministry Receives 45 Bodies from Israel

Content: TEL AVIV, Israel — Gaza’s Health Ministry announced it has received 45 additional bodies of Palestinians from Israel, marking a significant development in the ongoing ceasefire efforts. The circumstances surrounding the deaths of these individuals remain unclear, as it is not known whether they died in Israeli custody or were retrieved from Gaza by Israeli forces. Throughout the conflict, the Israeli military has been exhuming bodies in its search for hostages' remains.

Officials at Nasser Hospital confirmed the arrival of three trucks carrying the bodies, bringing the total number of transferred remains to 90. The Israeli military reported that one of the bodies returned by Hamas the previous day was not that of a hostage, raising tensions regarding the fragile truce. On Tuesday, Hamas handed over four bodies, following another four on Monday, shortly after the release of the last 20 living hostages. Israel is still awaiting the return of 28 deceased hostages.

In a statement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu emphasized the importance of adhering to the ceasefire agreement, which was facilitated by U.S. President Donald Trump. "We will not compromise on this and will not stop our efforts until we return the last deceased hostage, until the last one," Netanyahu said.

The ceasefire plan required all hostages, both living and deceased, to be returned by a deadline that expired on Monday. If this did not occur, Hamas was expected to provide information about the deceased hostages and expedite their return. This is not the first instance of Hamas returning an incorrect body; earlier this year, during a previous ceasefire, the group mistakenly returned the bodies of a Palestinian woman instead of the intended individuals.

Hamas spokesperson Hazem Kassem stated that the group is committed to returning the hostages' bodies as per the ceasefire agreement. He accused Israel of violating the terms of the deal due to military actions in eastern Gaza City and Rafah. Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz affirmed that the military is operating within the agreed deployment lines and warned that anyone approaching these lines would be targeted.

Two of the hostages whose bodies were released are scheduled for burial on Wednesday. Their families have invited the public to join in the procession from a forensics institute to a cemetery north of Tel Aviv. Meanwhile, forensic experts in Gaza have begun the process of identifying the 45 bodies received from Israel through the Red Cross. The total number of bodies expected to be transferred remains undisclosed, and it is unclear whether they are from individuals who died in Israeli prisons or those taken from Gaza.

Humanitarian aid to Gaza has faced delays, with the entry of supplies paused for two days due to the recent prisoner and hostage exchange and a Jewish holiday. The Egyptian Red Crescent reported that 400 trucks carrying essential goods are en route to Gaza. However, the Israeli body overseeing humanitarian aid, COGAT, indicated it would allow only half of the 600 daily aid trucks stipulated in the ceasefire agreement.

On Monday, celebrations erupted in Israel over the return of the last 20 living hostages, while Palestinians celebrated the release of approximately 2,000 prisoners and detainees. Families of hostages have expressed frustration over the limited number of deceased hostages being returned. The first four bodies released were confirmed as hostages, while three of the second group of four were identified as Uriel Baruch, Tamir Nimrodi, and Eitan Levi, all of whom were kidnapped during the initial Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023, which ignited the current conflict.