Red Cross hands over 15 Palestinian bodies held by Israel after Ran Gvili found

The International Committee of the Red Cross gives the bodies of 15 Palestinians. held by Israel to the Gaza Health Ministry, after Israel recovered the body of Ran Gvili, the last hostage held in Gaza, earlier this week.

The handover took place at Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, The Times of Israel has learned.

The ratio of Palestinian bodies handed over for every hostage body returned during the Gaza ceasefire has been 15:1.

Israel moved ahead with the handover even though Hamas did not locate or hand over Gvili’s body. The IDF found his remains earlier this week during an operation in a cemetery in Gaza City.

“This marked the completion of a months-long operation that led to family reunifications and supported the implementation of the ceasefire agreement,” says the ICRC in a statement. “The operation began in October, with the release and return of 20 living hostages and 1,808 Palestinian detainees.”

The ICRC notes that it continued to facilitate the return of bodies, including 27 of the 28 slain hostages and 360 dead Palestinians.

“Since October 2023, the ICRC has helped facilitate the return of 195 hostages, including 35 who were deceased, and 3,472 Palestinian detainees,” adds the ICRC.

“We feel relieved to have helped reunite families with their loved ones. For families whose loved ones did not return alive, we hope they can now grieve fully,” says Julien Lerisson, head of the ICRC delegation in Israel and the Palestinian territories.

“The opening of the Rafah crossing plays a significant role in addressing the urgent needs of the population,” Lerisson continues. “The ability to bring in larger quantities of specialized equipment — essential for reconstruction work and for locating and identifying remains in a dignified manner — is crucial in this regard.”

Rafah is expected to be reopened next week for pedestrians, after Israel confirmed earlier this week that it had agreed to do so.