Israel sends scores of unidentified, decomposing bodies of Palestinians to Gaza

Israel sent the decomposing bodies of 88 unidentified Palestinians to Gaza on Wednesday, prompting Gaza's health authorities to seek answers ahead of their burial.

The Gaza health ministry has demanded that Israel provide details about their identities and how they were killed after Israel sent the bodies across the border loaded into a container.

Health officials at Khan Younis' Nasser Hospital urged the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to intervene and retrieve the information from Israel.

"The health ministry halted the procedures to receive the container (carrying the bodies) until the completion of the full data and information about those bodies so their relatives can identify them," the ministry said in a statement.

Palestinian officials at the hospital instructed the truck driver to take the container back to the Israel-Gaza border crossing.

"They must act according to the international humanitarian law and in a way that preserves the dignity of the martyrs and their families,” Ismail Al-Thawabta told Reuters.

The ICRC, which said it was not involved in the transfer of the bodies, issued a statement highlighting the laws governing the proper handling of people killed in war.

"We reiterate that all families have the right to receive news about their loved ones and bury them respectfully and in line with their traditions," the ICRC said in a statement.

Under International Humanitarian Law, those who have died during an armed conflict must be handled with dignity and be properly managed. The law requires that they be searched for, collected and evacuated, which helps ensure that people do not go missing, the ICRC statement added.

The Civil Emergency Service tasked with finding people missing under rubble, on roads and in ruined buildings in Gaza says it has been notified of around 10,000 people missing during the near year-long Israeli assault on Gaza.

In August, Israel returned the bodies of 89 unidentified Palestinians, which the government media office described as "bones and decomposed bodies in an inhumane manner".

Amid its assault on Gaza, Israel has also been accused on several occasions of desecrating burial places and removing the bodies of Palestinians killed in the onslaught.

In January, Israel admitted to digging up Palestinian graves, claiming that it was looking for Israeli captives.

More than 41,000 Palestinians have been confirmed killed in Israel's assault, which has wounded tens of thousands more, according to Gaza health authorities.

In recent days, Israel has launched the biggest airstrikes on Lebanon in nearly two decades, killing more than 500 people in one day on Monday.

Agencies contributed to this report.