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Translated by: Blerta Haxhiu
- November 14, 2025 12:16
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Israel on Friday returned the bodies of 15 Palestinians to Gaza, according to officials at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis.
This is another step in fulfilling the terms of the peace agreement, which was brokered by the US.
The bodies were returned after militants late Thursday handed over the body of one of four Israeli hostages who were captured after the October 7, 2023 attack that sparked the war in Gaza.
Israel identified the body returned as that of Meny Godard, who had been taken hostage by Israeli forces in Kibbutz Be'eri in southern Israel. His wife, Ayelet, was killed in the attack, the AP reports.
While a phase of the peace agreement has passed, which has brought the return of the bodies of 25 Israeli hostages, three other hostages are still in Gaza and must be surrendered.
Hamas also returned 20 live hostages to Israel on October 13.
For every hostage returned, Israel has handed over the bodies of 15 Palestinians, a key exchange for the first phase of the deal. So far, 330 Palestinian bodies have been returned, of whom only 95 have been officially identified, according to health authorities in the Palestinian enclave.
Health authorities in Gaza have said that identifying the bodies is difficult due to a lack of materials for DNA tests.
Although the exchange of troops has continued, Israel and Hamas have accused each other of other violations of the agreement.
Israel accuses Hamas of handing over incomplete bodies and faking the discovery of the bodies, while Hamas accuses Israel of attacking civilians and restricting humanitarian aid.
The next parts of the 20-point plan include the creation of an international stabilization force, the formation of a technocratic Palestinian government, and the disarmament of Hamas.
The peace deal aims to end the war, which began after a Hamas-led attack on southern Israel that killed about 1.200 people and took 251 hostages.
Israel has responded with a massive military offensive, which has caused over 69.100 Palestinian casualties in Gaza, according to the enclave's Health Ministry.