By WAFAA SHURAFA, JULIA FRANKEL and SAMY MAGDY, Associated Press
KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip (AP) — Hospital officials in Gaza said Wednesday that Israel handed over 15 more Palestinian bodies, completing the latest swap of the ceasefire as the first phase of the agreement nears a conclusion and officials convened to discuss moving to the second.
It came a day after Palestinian militants returned the remains of Israeli hostage Dror Or, who the Israeli military says was killed by Hamas in their Oct. 7, 2023 terrorist attack. Israel has agreed to return 15 Palestinian bodies for each hostage returned.
With the latest swap, Israel has sent back to Gaza a total of 345 Palestinian bodies since the exchanges started last month, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. Two hostages — one Israeli and one Thai national — remain in Gaza. Hamas said Wednesday it was determined to uphold its side of the agreement and return them both.
Turkish, Qatari and Egyptian officials met Wednesday in Cairo to discuss the second phase of the ceasefire, which began in October and has held despite accusations by both sides of violations. The next phases of the agreement include deploying an international stabilization force and developing an international body to govern Gaza and oversee reconstruction.
An armed international stabilization force will be tasked with keeping security and ensuring the disarmament of Hamas, a key demand of Israel. Indonesian officials have said they plan to deploy 20,000 peacekeepers to the force.
Major questions hang over nearly every part of the plan and the time frame for implementation. In the meantime, nearly all Palestinians remain displaced and dependent on humanitarian aid, Hamas retains significant control over nearly half of Gaza and the rebuilding of the territory has barely begun.
Palestinian bodies returned and hostage remains identified
Gaza’s Health Ministry said only 99 bodies out of the 345 Israel has returned have been identified. They say identifying the remains is complicated by a lack of DNA testing kits in Gaza.
Meanwhile, Israel mourned the latest hostage to be returned, Dror Or. Israel’s military said Or and his wife, Yonat Or, were killed by terrorists who overran their community of Kibbutz Be’eri on Oct. 7, 2023.
Before they were killed by the terrorists, the couple evacuated two of their children from their burning house through the window, said the Hostages Families Forum. The decision ultimately saved the children’s lives — Alma and Noam were abducted by Hamas and released in a hostage deal in November 2023.
The Forum remembered Or as a devoted father and talented cheesemaker who spent years working at the Be’eri dairy, eventually managing it. The group said Or was also a chef and yoga teacher.
In total, Hamas killed some 1,200 people across southern Israel and abducted 251 to Gaza in their Oct. 7, 2023 attack that kick-started the war in Gaza.
With the return of Or’s remains, almost all of the hostages or their remains are out of Gaza.
Hazem Qassem, the spokesperson for Hamas, said Wednesday that the militant group was committed to handing over the remaining two hostages and wrapping up the exchange. Writing on his Telegram channel, he called for mediators to pressure Israel to stop its “violations” of the ceasefire.
Israeli troops shoot Palestinian man in Gaza, health officials say
A Palestinian man was killed when Israeli troops opened fire Wednesday on a group of people in central Gaza, a hospital said.
At least two others were wounded in the attack that took place east of the Maghazi refugee camp, according to the Al-Aqsa Martyrs hospital which received the casualties.
They were the latest casualties among Palestinians since a ceasefire deal brought the war to a halt in Gaza last month. Israel’s military did not immediately respond to request for comment on the report.
Also Wednesday, the military said its troops struck a group of six fighters in the southern city of Rafah, killing one. The military statement said that the fighters had “most likely emerged from the underground terror infrastructure in the area.”
Since the ceasefire took effect on Oct. 11, the Gaza Health Ministry said, 345 Palestinians were killed and 889 were wounded in the strip as of Tuesday.
It said at least 69,775 Palestinians have been killed and 170,863 injured in Israel’s offensive in Gaza. It does not distinguish between civilians and combatants in its figures, but has said women and children make up a majority of those killed. The ministry is staffed by medical professionals and maintains detailed records viewed as generally reliable by independent experts.
Turkish, Qatari and Egyptian officials meet on ceasefire
Turkey’s intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin met in Cairo on Tuesday with Qatar’s Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and Egypt’s intelligence chief Hasan Reshat to discuss advancing to the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement, a Turkish security official said.
The talks also centered on intensifying joint efforts with the United States to strengthen the truce, according to the official who requested anonymity in line with Turkish regulations.
The three also agreed to deepen cooperation with the Civil-Military Coordination Center (CMCC) to remove obstacles and prevent violations, ensuring the ceasefire is upheld without interruption, the official added.
Indonesia prepares troops for Gaza stabilization force
Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim-majority nation with a long experience in U.N. peacekeeping missions, is among the countries the U.S. has discussed the ISF plan with, in addition to Azerbaijan, Egypt and Qatar.
“We are now in the selection phase for the peacekeeping force,” Gen. Agus Subianto, Chief of the Indonesian Armed Forces or TNI, told reporters Tuesday after a hearing with lawmakers in the capital, Jakarta. “Later, it’s planned that the mission will be led by a three-star general.”
He said the contingent will form a composite brigade consisting of health, engineering and mechanized support battalions. TNI is also preparing supporting assets for the mission in Gaza, including three hospital warships, the C-130 Hercules military transport aircraft and a helicopter.
Defense Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin added that the final deployment awaits an official order from President Prabowo Subianto but “troops are already undergoing mission-specific training.”
Prabowo has repeatedly declared that his country was ready to deploy 20,000 peacekeepers to Gaza at any time.
The U.N. reported that Indonesia had been the fifth-largest uniformed personnel contributor, deploying 2,731 individuals on peacekeeping operations as of September.
Magdy reported from Cairo, Egypt. AP writer Suzan Fraser contributed from Ankara, Turkey. AP writer Niniek Karmini contributed from Jakarta, Indonesia.
