Israel returns 30 bodies of slain Palestinians as new strikes hit Gaza

Thirty more bodies of Palestinians who were detained by Israel have been returned to the besieged Gaza Strip, some showing signs of torture. The return of the Palestinian remains, via the International Committee of the Red Cross, came as Israeli forces continued air strikes across the Strip despite a shaky ceasefire, killing at least three people on Friday, Oct 31.
One Palestinian was killed and his brother wounded by Israeli gunfire in the Shujayea neighbourhood of eastern Gaza City, while another was killed by Israeli shelling in the Jabalia refugee camp, Wafa news agency reported. A third Palestinian died of wounds sustained from previous Israeli shelling, it added.
Separately, civil defence workers in central Gaza said they had recovered the body of a Palestinian from the rubble of the Abu Medein family home in the az-Zahra neighbourhood.
Israeli warplanes also struck buildings in Khan Younis in southern Gaza on Friday. The return of slain Palestinian detainees comes as part of the prisoner-captive exchange deal agreed in early October. The latest handover brings the total number of bodies received to 225, the Palestinian Health Ministry said in a statement. It said medical teams are identifying the bodies under standard protocols before documenting them and notifying families. In the previous handovers, bodies of prisoners had exhibited signs of torture, including being blindfolded and handcuffed, medical sources said. Many had appeared decomposed or burned, while others were missing limbs or teeth.