Gaza latest: Hamas says it has returned all hostage bodies it can as Trump warns Israel could resume fighting – UK Times

The health ministry in Gaza received 45 more bodies of Palestinians from Israel, marking another step in the implementation of the ceasefire agreement.

That brought to 90 the total number of bodies returned to Gaza for burial.

The forensics team examining the remains said they showed signs of mistreatment and released images of 32 unidentified bodies to help families recognise missing relatives.

The team that received the bodies said some arrived still shackled or bearing signs of physical abuse.

Many of the bodies appeared decomposed or burned. Some were missing limbs or teeth, while others were coated in sand and dust, according to Gaza officials.

Health officials have said Israeli restrictions on allowing DNA testing equipment into Gaza have often forced morgues to rely on physical features and clothing for identification.

Sameh Hamad, a member of a commission tasked with receiving the bodies at Khan Younis’ Nasser Hospital, said some arrived with their hands and legs cuffed. “There are signs of torture and executions,” he told The Associated Press.

The bodies, he said, belonged to men ages 25 to 70. Most had bands on their necks, including one that had a rope around the neck.

A difficult path to recovery will include rebuilding a sense of control over their lives and following a carefully supervised diet:

The family of released Israeli hostages Ariel and David Cunio have been telling of their relief.

Silvia Cunio said: “For two years, I could not breathe. Today, I stand before you and want to scream with joy: my children are home! My family is whole again. I can finally breathe…

“I can’t stop crying from happiness. I know it will take time for them to heal, but I trust my amazing children.”

Sharon Aloni Cunio said: “This is the third night in a row that my David, the love of my life, gets to hug Emma and Yuli before bed. They even fall asleep together. I watch from the side, and the biggest smile doesn’t leave my face…

“They no longer have to ask me if Daddy will really come home, if Daddy is still alive. He’s here! He’s alive!

“Since our own return from captivity, we hadn’t begun to truly heal. We were waiting for David. We felt we couldn’t recover without him.”

Ehud Olmert, former prime minister of Israel, says the US president’s celebrations and speeches do not amount to a plan:

The Gaza health ministry said earlier it had received 45 more bodies of Palestinians from Israel, another step in implementation of the ceasefire agreement.

That brings to 90 the total number of bodies returned to Gaza for burial.

The forensics team examining the remains said they showed signs of mistreatment.

Many bodies are under the rubble of Gaza, US officials have warned.

A senior White House adviser said: “The entire Gaza strip has been pulverised. It looks like something out of a out of a movie. And there’s very, very little buildings left standing.

“But on top of all of that, all of that debris, and so think almost the level of debris that they had at the World Trade Centre, it feels like, multiple times more.

“On top of all that debris is a lot of unexploded ordinance, and presumably, under that unexploded ordinance and that debris, there are many bodies.

“There’s a lot of different intelligence on where someone might have been killed, where they might have been injured, and we’ve got a lot of information with regard to that, and we’ve got a huge, huge effort in understanding all of those things now that we have, now that we have greater control physically, of the area, it’s going to allow us to do a lot more with the resources we have there.

“But we need more resources, and we’re calling on multiple countries, and they they’re giving us tremendous commitments.”

The adviser said a Turkish team that are “experts in body retrieval” could be brought into Gaza to search the rubble.

“There’s a very complicated situation, and each day we’re getting deceased out, and we’re in good communication directly with the Arab mediators who are in contact with Hamas. And I can tell you that we’re not going to leave here until everybody comes home.

“President Trump’s been very clear, and the document that all the parties agreed to is clear that there will be a demilitarised Gaza.”

The Red Cross has received the remains of two more of Hamas’s hostages, bringing the number returned to Israel to nine.

Hamas was supposed to have handed over the bodies of 28 dead Israeli hostages by Monday.

The militant group had handed over two sets of four bodies over Monday and Tuesday, but Israel said one body was not that of a hostage.

It handed over two more on Wednesday night.