Mourning for the unknown: 54 Gazans buried in mass grave after return by Israel

Palestinian officials say remains showed signs of torture and execution

Medics pray beside the bodies of unidentified Palestinians returned by Israel before their mass burial outside Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis on Wednesday. EPA

Mourners in Gaza buried 54 people in a mass grave on Wednesday, after their unidentified remains were returned from Israel under the ceasefire deal.

Shrouded in white sheets, the bodies were laid out in a strip at a cemetery in Deir Al Balah, with heavy machinery brought in to cover the grave. Funeral prayers were performed by Sheikh Ihsan Ashour, the Mufti of Khan Younis.

Palestinian civil defence workers brought the remains to a cemetery. AFP

The bodies were laid out in a line, shrouded in white sheets. AFP

The dead were among 165 Palestinians whose bodies have been released by Israel, with many showing signs of torture or execution. The 54 buried on Wednesday were too difficult to identify within a "set period" and were buried after their belongings were documented, authorities said.

Israel has meanwhile protested at the slow return of its own hostages by Hamas, making aid to Gaza conditional on their return. The Palestinian Centre for Missing Persons has complained of what it calls double standards.

The 54 bodies were returned by Israel as part of the ceasefire deal. AFP

The dead were among 165 people whose bodies have so far been returned by Israel. AFP

Under the ceasefire brokered by US President Donald Trump, Israel was to hand over the bodies of 15 Palestinians for every dead Israeli returned. The exchange of hostages and detainees was the key part of the initial deal in which Israel has mostly paused its offensive in Gaza.

Little is known about the circumstances in which the Palestinians died. However, Gaza officials claim examinations revealed signs of gunshots, torture and blindfolding. Some Palestinians allegedly had their hands and feet tied before being killed, or were crushed under the tracks of Israeli tanks.

Diggers were brought in to assist with the burial. Reuters

Mourners gathered in Deir Al Balah to pay their respects. Reuters

"Signs of torture, burns, fractures and deep wounds confirm the use of brutal methods against the detainees," Gaza's media office said. There was also evidence of "direct gunfire from very close range, which indicates deliberate field executions", it added.

Israel denies committing abuse. "Israel of course adheres to all international law," said government spokeswoman Shosh Bedrosian, who highlighted the suffering of Israeli hostages at the hands of Hamas.

The ceasefire deal also saw 20 living Israeli hostages released by Hamas in a handover through the Red Cross, with hundreds of Palestinian detainees freed by Israel and sent to Gaza, the occupied West Bank or Egypt.