Israel returns 84 Palestinian bodies taken from Gaza

Israel returned the bodies of 84 Palestinians killed in its military offensive in the Gaza Strip, as Israeli airstrikes killed at least 18 more people on Monday, the Palestinian Ministry of Health said.

Yamen Abu Suleiman, the director of the Palestinian Civil Emergency Service in Khan Younis in southern Gaza, said it was unclear whether the bodies had been dug up from cemeteries by the army during the ground offensive, or whether they were "detainees who had been tortured and killed."

"The occupation provided us with no information about the names, or ages, or anything. This is a war crime, a crime against humanity," Abu Suleiman said.

The bodies will be screened and examined in an attempt to determine the causes of death and to identify them. They will later be buried in a mass grave at a cemetery near Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis.

The bodies arrived in over 15 bags, each containing several bodies, Abu Suleiman added.

There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military on the return of the bodies. In the past, Israel has said it returned bodies after checks they were not Israeli captives who Hamas had held since 7 October.

In Jerusalem, the Israeli Hostages Families Forum asked why Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would allow the handover of Palestinian bodies without a ceasefire deal with Hamas.

"Why are bodies being returned outside the framework of a comprehensive deal? Such an agreement could bring back living hostages for rehabilitation and the deceased for proper burial," they said in a statement.

At least 39,550 Palestinians have been killed in Israel's war on Gaza, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between fighters and civilians.

Palestinian health officials say most of the fatalities have been civilians.

(Reuters)