GAZA STRIP – Israel and Hamas exchanged the remains of deceased individuals late Tuesday as part of an ongoing ceasefire agreement, while Hamas officials stated that Israel is not fully implementing the truce by keeping the Rafah border crossing closed. The exchange, facilitated by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), involved the remains of two Israelis and 15 Palestinians.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced early Wednesday the identification of the two Israelis whose remains were returned from Gaza. They were identified as Aryeh Zalmanovich, 85, a civilian, and Master Sergeant Tamir Adar, 38, a soldier. According to an IDF statement, Zalmanovich died in captivity on November 17, 2023. The military stated that Adar was killed during fighting in southern Israel on October 7, 2023, and his body was taken into Gaza.
The Qassam Brigades, Hamas’s armed wing, organized the handover of the remains to the ICRC in Gaza. This exchange brings the total number of Israeli remains returned under the current agreement to 15. Hamas has stated that the recovery of an estimated 13 additional sets of remains has been slowed by damage to infrastructure and Israeli military operations in parts of Gaza.
Earlier on Tuesday, Israeli authorities returned the bodies of 15 Palestinians who died in Israeli detention. A medical source in Gaza confirmed the remains were transported to the Nasser Medical Complex for identification.
The ceasefire agreement includes provisions for the release of detainees. Israel has released approximately 2,000 living Palestinian detainees and has committed to returning the remains of 360 deceased Palestinians. A forensics team that received a separate group of 45 bodies returned by Israel last week reported that some showed signs of physical abuse.
A key point of contention is the status of the Rafah border crossing with Egypt. In a statement from Qatar, a Hamas delegation accused Israel of “repeated violations” of the ceasefire agreement. The officials said Israel is “delaying the implementation of the ceasefire by failing to open the Rafah crossing for the travel of sick and injured people, and its prevention of the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza.”
The Rafah crossing has been closed since Israeli forces took control of it on May 7, 2024. The United Nations has previously described the crossing as one of two primary routes for humanitarian assistance into the territory. On May 24, 2024, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ordered Israel to reopen the crossing. It has remained closed to humanitarian aid since May, with limited goods entering through the nearby Kerem Shalom crossing, known to Palestinians as Karem Abu Salem.
Speaking from Ramallah, Ubai Al-Aboudi, the executive director of the Bisan Center for Research and Development, described the situation for Palestinians in Israeli prisons. “When we talk about Palestinian prisoners, we are actually talking about hostages,” Al-Aboudi said, adding that many are held “without any due process.”
