A truck carrying some 80 bodies of Palestinians killed in airstrikes and fighting arrived in Gaza following reports about their release by Israel.
Bodies wrapped in blue body bags were unloaded from the container and placed in the excavator’s bucket for further transportation to the mass grave and burial.
Reports say the Health Ministry in Gaza received bodies via the Kerem Shalom border crossing in the southern Gaza Strip. The process was closely followed by the Red Cross.
Kerem Shalom border crossing is a vital link connecting Israel and Gaza Strip.
Ahmed Abu Bilal, a representative of the Awqaf Directorate in the Emergency Committee, explained how they will bury the remains
“The burial mechanism is as follows: they will be buried collectively in this hole which was dug with a bulldozer, and then we throw sand on them, God willing,” according to Rep. Ahmed Abu Bila, Emergency Committee, Awqaf Directorate.
He also revealed that the bodies remain unidentified, still, they will take pictures to identify them in the future.
On the other hand, Marwen al-Hams, another Palestinian health official in Gaza said some of the remains handed over by Israel were intact, others were in pieces or had decomposed.
To recall, Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, killing around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and kidnapping over 200 according to Israeli officials.
Israel declared war on the group and a ‘complete siege’ of Gaza, with a large-scale campaign of air strikes.
Tel-Aviv launched a ground incursion in Gaza that began at the end of the third week, with Israeli leaders vowing to ‘wipe out’ Hamas.
The Israeli Defence Forces also claimed that Hamas locations and infrastructure were targeted in the response.
According to Palestinian health officials, at least 20,000 people have been killed and more than 52,000 injured so far.
Meanwhile, Israel said that around 129 hostages are still under Hamas captivity in Gaza.
