Israel returns 15 Palestinian bodies to Gaza: health ministry

The health ministry in Gaza said Israel returned the bodies of 15 Palestinian prisoners on Wednesday under the US-brokered ceasefire exchange deal.

"The Ministry of Health announces the receipt of 15 bodies of martyrs released today by the Israeli occupation via the International Committee of the Red Cross, bringing the total number of bodies received to 345," the ministry said in a statement.

A medical source at Gaza's Nasser Hospital in the southern city of Khan Younis confirmed it had received 15 bodies via the Red Cross.

Under the ceasefire deal, which came into effect on October 10, Israel was required to turn over the bodies of 15 Palestinians for every deceased Israeli returned.

The 15 bodies returned on Wednesday were in exchange for the remains of Dror Or, one of the last three deceased captives held in the Palestinian territory, whose body was handed over to Israel on Tuesday by fighters, via the ICRC.

Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem said in a statement that the handover "reflects Hamas's steadfast commitment to fully complete the exchange process and its ongoing efforts to finalise it despite significant difficulties."

The last two captives' bodies still in Gaza are those of Israeli Ran Gvili and Thai national Sudthisak Rinthalak.

At the start of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, militants were holding 20 living captives and 28 bodies of deceased captives.

Hamas has since released all the living captives and returned the remains of 26 dead captives.

In exchange, Israel has released nearly 2,000 Palestinian detainees in its custody and returned the bodies of hundreds of dead Palestinians.