On Saturday, Israel handed over the bodies of 15 Palestinians to Gaza adding to the total of 135 bodies returned from the end of the ceasefire as per Gaza’s health ministry, which is run by Hamas. This is following a ceasefire brought about by President Donald Trump of the U.S. which required Israel to return 15 bodies of Palestinians for each Israeli dead returned to it by Hamas.
Late Friday, Hamas handed over the body of an Israeli hostage identified as Eliyahu Margalit. Since the modalities of the ceasefire began, Hamas transferred nine bodies of Israelis and one body of a Nepalese student but claims other missing bodies are now untraceable.”
PM Netanyahu instructed that the Rafah border crossing will not open until further notice. Its opening will be under consideration in accordance with the manner in which Hamas implements its part in return of the deceased hostages and implementation of the agreed upon framework.
— Prime Minister of Israel (@IsraeliPM) October 18, 2025
Identification & Family Notification of Israeli Hostage
The Prime Minister’s Office of Israel confirmed on Saturday that the body of Eliyahu Margalit was confirmed through tests by the National Centre for Forensic Medicine. The family of the 76-year-old who was captured during the Hamas onslaught on Israel has been informed. Margalit was abducted at the horse stables of Kibbutz Nir Oz. This is among the latest maneuvers in the ongoing exchange of bodies which illustrates the very difficult and sensitive nature of the negotiations.
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Disputes Over Condition of Returned Bodies
According to the Ministry of Health in Gaza, some of the bodies returned on Saturday displayed signs of mistreatment, with evidence of beatings, handcuffed and blindfolded. The Israeli military firmly denied it, calling it the typical false propaganda spread by Hamas. Nevertheless, both parties maintain their contradictory postures and Hamas appears to remain keen on adhering to ceasefire conditions, including the exchanging of remains.
By way of explanation, the group referred to widespread destruction and unexploded ordnance as obstacles to the recovery of more bodies from the conflict zones.
Current Fighting & Human Costs
It added that over 68,000 Palestinians were killed in the two-year conflict with the death toll rising even after the ceasefire. The Gaza health ministry considered some operations to clean the area as rescuing some newly discovered bodies during cleanup activities.
Meanwhile, Hamas accuses Israel of continuing to attack and break the ceasefire agreement. The truce is certainly shaky and will stay that way with both sides walking the hard and sensitive road towards humanitarian exchanges while hostilities continue, along with deep-seated mistrust, it remains tense.
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Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and reflects data available at publication; facts may change as the situation evolves.
