DayofPal—Israeli forces carried out new demolitions in Rafah on Saturday, destroying residential buildings within the so-called “yellow line” zone in southern Gaza.
Witnesses reported powerful explosions as multiple homes were razed in areas where residents are still prohibited from returning.
The demolitions come as Gaza’s Ministry of Health announced the return of 15 Palestinian bodies on Friday, delivered through the International Committee of the Red Cross. This brings the total number of bodies received since October 14 to 330.
These transfers are part of the first phase of a prisoner-exchange agreement tied to the current ceasefire. Under this phase, Palestinian factions released 20 Israeli soldiers alive and returned the remains of 27 others, according to their statements.
Medical teams in Gaza report that most of the bodies arriving from Israeli custody remain unidentified. Only 97 have been formally identified.
Many bodies are received without names, and some show such extensive damage to facial features and other markers that recognition is nearly impossible.
With Gaza’s forensic facilities largely destroyed and advanced medical tools unavailable, identification relies heavily on families.
Parents and siblings examine clothing fragments, scars, and other distinguishing marks in a desperate search for loved ones, many of whom have been missing since the start of the war.
The Ministry of Health said staff continue to follow established medical procedures and documentation protocols despite the collapse of the territory’s health system.
Before the ceasefire, Israel held 735 Palestinian bodies, according to the National Campaign to Retrieve the Bodies of Martyrs, and many of these individuals remain unaccounted for. Reports indicate that Palestinian bodies are kept in numbered cemeteries, often used as leverage in negotiations.
The overall human toll of the war continues to climb. The Palestinian government reports that Israeli attacks have killed more than 69,000 Palestinians and injured over 170,000.
Around 9,500 people are still missing, many presumed to be trapped under rubble or lost without trace, leaving families with little closure.
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