The bodies of 15 Palestinians who died in Israeli detention were given to authorities in Gaza on Saturday, as part of the hostage-and-detainee exchange agreement between Israel and Hamas.
The International Committee of the Red Cross confirmed it assisted in transferring the bodies from Israel.
This brings the total number of detainee bodies released by Israel to 135, Gaza's Health Ministry said. "Some of the bodies show signs of abuse, beatings and handcuffing," the ministry added.
In what has become a familiar and grim pattern, only seven of the 15 corpses handed over on Saturday have been identified by their families so far due to disfigurement while in Israeli hands.
Hamas said it is looking for more hostage bodies after returning 10 to Israel, but is struggling to find them under tonnes of rubble.
A shortage of advanced equipment, as well as unexploded ordnance resulting from Israel's bombardment of the strip have complicated the effort. A Turkish search and rescue team has been barred by Israel from entering Gaza.
Hamas has also told mediators that some bodies are in areas still controlled by Israeli troops under the terms of the US-sponsored peace plan.
The Palestinian group handed over an 11th body this week, but Israel said tests showed it wasn’t that of a hostage. The renewed effort to find hostage remains comes after US President Donald Trump threatened to allow Israel to resume the war if Hamas does not adhere to the terms of the ceasefire agreement by returning all 28 bodies of Israeli hostages in its custody.
The handover of hostage remains has been among the contentious issues since the truce began— along with aid deliveries, the opening of border crossings into Gaza, notably Rafah, and hopes for reconstruction.
Monumental task
Also on Saturday, Tom Fletcher, the UN 's top relief co-ordinator, travelled through Gaza's vast areas of rubble with his team in a convoy, before inspecting a wastewater treatment plant in Sheikh Radwan, north of Gaza city.
"I drove through here seven to eight months ago when most of these buildings were still standing and, to see the devastation, this is a vast part of the city, just a wasteland, and it's absolutely devastating to see," he told AFP.
Surveying the damaged pumping equipment and a lake of untreated sewage at the wastewater plant, Mr Fletcher said the task ahead for the UN and aid agencies was a "massive, massive job".
The British diplomat said he had met residents returning to destroyed homes, who were trying to dig pit toilets amid the ruins.
"They're telling me most of all they want dignity," he said. "We've got to get the power back on so we can start to get the sanitation system back in place.
"We have a massive 60-day plan now to surge in food, get a million meals out there a day, start to rebuild the health sector, bring in tents for the winter, get hundreds of thousands of kids back into school."
Mr Fletcher also stopped at a UN-sponsored bakery and said that its efforts proved the benefits that can be delievered when aid reaches Gaza.
The Palestinian side of the vital Rafah crossing remains closed by Israel, leaving tonnes of aid stuck on lorries on the Egypt side.
Killings continue
Meanwhile, Israel has repeatedly breached the ceasefire agreement and killed dozens of Palestinians.
On Friday, Gaza's civil defence said nine people died, including women and children, when Israeli forces fired at their vehicle in Gaza city. Israel said the minivan crossed into an area under its control.
As part of the first phase of the ceasefire, Israel still maintains control of about half of Gaza.
Gaza's civil defence said Israel could have given the people adequate warnings, without resorting to lethal attacks. Palestinian workers recovered the bodies on Saturday with co-ordination from the UN, it said.
Israel's army said troops saw a “suspicious vehicle” crossing the yellow line and approaching them. It said they fired warning shots but the vehicle continued to approach in a manner that posed an “imminent threat.” It said it acted in accordance with the terms of the ceasefire.
Demands for aid
Hamas is also urging mediators to increase the flow of aid into Gaza, put pressure on Israel to open the Rafah border, and to start reconstruction of the battered territory.
The flow of aid remains constrained because of continued closures of crossings and restrictions on aid groups.
UN data on Friday showed 339 lorries have been offloaded for distribution in Gaza since the ceasefire began a week ago. Under the agreement, about 600 humanitarian aid lorries would be allowed to enter each day.
Cogat, the Israeli defence body overseeing aid in Gaza, reported 950 lorries— including commercial vehicles and bilateral deliveries — crossing on Thursday and 716 on Wednesday.
Gaza’s more than two million residents are hoping the ceasefire will bring them relief from the humanitarian disaster caused by Israel’s offensive. Throughout the war, Israel restricted aid entry to Gaza — sometimes halting it altogether.
The UN said this week that nearly 55,000 children under five are estimated to be malnourished.
More than 400 people have died of malnutrition-related causes in Gaza to date , including more than 100 children, added the world body, which declared famine in the enclave in August.
Israel’s campaign in Gaza has killed nearly 68,000 Palestinians, Gaza's health authorities say. Israel has disputed the toll without providing evidence to the contrary. Thousands more are missing, according to the Red Cross and local health authorities.
The Israeli military began its offensive when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel and killed 1,200 people.
