Gaza: Gaza's Health Ministry announced the reception of 15 Palestinian remains from Israel facilitated by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) as part of a ceasefire agreement. According to Anadolu Agency, the transfer has increased the total number of bodies returned by Israel to 315 since the ceasefire deal with Hamas came into effect on October 10. The Health Ministry emphasized the ongoing efforts of medical teams to process the received bodies following approved medical protocols, which include examination, documentation, and eventually handing them over to their families. It was noted that Israel delivers the bodies without names, and many of them lack recognizable features due to torture and mutilation, as previously reported by the ministry. Due to the lack of DNA testing equipment in Gaza, a result of Israel's blockade and destruction of laboratories, families of missing Palestinians are attempting to identify the bodies through remaining physical marks or clothing. So far, 91 of t he 315 returned bodies have been identified, while 182 remain unidentified and have been buried, including 38 that were interred earlier in central Gaza. Mohamad Abu Shamala, the deputy director of Civil Defense in central Gaza, informed Anadolu that none of the 38 bodies could be identified due to prolonged detention and severe torture and mutilation. He highlighted that some of the bodies had tank and shell marks, head injuries, and complete facial disfigurement. Many showed signs of binding and strangulation, with ropes still present around their necks at burial. Despite these challenging circumstances, Abu Shamala noted that the bodies were buried with dignity. Before the ceasefire, Israel held 735 Palestinian bodies in so-called 'cemeteries of numbers,' as reported by the Palestinian National Campaign to Retrieve Martyrs' Bodies. The Israeli daily Haaretz had earlier noted that the army was holding about 1,500 bodies of Palestinians from Gaza at the Sde Teiman military base in southern Israel. The ong oing conflict has resulted in over 69,000 casualties, mostly women and children, with more than 170,600 injured. Approximately 9,500 individuals remain missing, many believed to be trapped under destroyed homes or unaccounted for in the attacks in Gaza since October 2023.