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Israel returned the bodies of 45 Palestinians to Gaza on Monday, bringing the total number of bodies handed over under the ceasefire deal to 270, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run enclave.
The exchange is part of a truce mediated by U.S. President Donald Trump, under which Israel agreed to return the bodies of 15 Palestinians for each deceased Israeli handed over by Hamas.
On Monday, Israel confirmed through forensic identification that the remains transferred by Hamas the previous day belonged to three hostages abducted during the October 7, 2023 clashes — American-Israeli Captain Omer Neutra, aged 21, Corporal Oz Daniel, 19, and Colonel Assaf Hamami, 40, the highest-ranking officer killed by Hamas.
Hamas’s military wing said the remains were recovered "along the route of one of the tunnels in the southern Gaza Strip," indicating the complexity of ongoing recovery operations.
When the truce came into effect on October 10, Hamas was holding 48 hostages, including 20 still alive. Since then, it has released all surviving captives and begun transferring the bodies of the deceased. So far, 28 bodies have been handed over, including those of 18 Israelis, one Thai national, and one Nepali.
Israeli officials have accused Hamas of deliberately slowing the process, while the Palestinian group maintains that the effort is hindered by the destruction of infrastructure and the lack of proper excavation equipment in Gaza. Hamas has urged mediators and the International Committee of the Red Cross to provide logistical support to continue the handovers.
Meanwhile, Israel’s National Security Committee in parliament approved a draft law allowing the death penalty for Palestinian detainees, paving the way for a full Knesset vote.
According to a statement by the Palestinian Prisoners’ Society, the proposal aims to institutionalize long-standing practices by making “extrajudicial executions” permanent through legislation. The group said Israeli forces have continued unlawful killings, including during arrests, interrogations, and alleged cases of medical neglect.
The organization described the move as "an additional step to legalize a crime that has existed for decades," asserting that such practices are now being formalized through laws, regulations, and military orders.
Since October 2023, 81 Palestinians have reportedly died in Israeli prisons, according to the same statement.
The proposed legislation would allow Israeli courts to impose the death penalty on individuals convicted of killing Israelis “for nationalist motives.” However, the provision would not apply to Israelis found guilty of killing Palestinians, effectively excluding them from the law’s scope.
Human rights organizations have warned that such asymmetry could deepen existing divisions and further complicate international efforts to maintain stability amid the fragile truce.
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