Gaza Health Ministry opens identification of 15 Palestinian remains

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Palestine

Gaza Health Ministry launches process for families to identify 15 Palestinian martyrs' remains.
Identification takes place at Al-Shifa and Nasser hospitals using photos and physical markers.

The Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip has established a procedure to help families identify the remains of 15 Palestinians received from 'Israel' on January 30.

Since Tuesday, the ministry has been displaying photos at Al-Shifa and Nasser hospitals showing details of the recovered remains, including an intact finger, a shoe still on one body, and a brown belt.

The ministry’s Committee for Missing Persons and Unidentified Bodies announced last Friday that a display room was activated to allow families to confirm identities and complete legal procedures for burial. Families of missing Palestinians were invited to participate to help end the uncertainty surrounding their loved ones.

Three days were allocated for identification at Al-Shifa, ending Thursday, and a further three days began Wednesday at Nasser Hospital, continuing until Saturday.

A medical source at Al-Shifa told Anadolu Agency that the hospital provided a dedicated hall for families “to identify the martyrs recently received from the 'Israeli' army.” A screen in the hall shows detailed images of distinguishing marks on the remains.

An online link with photos of the remains was also made available to assist families, particularly given that many in Gaza lack internet and electricity, preventing them from identifying relatives remotely.

The remains arrive from 'Israel' unidentified, and Gaza authorities rely on limited methods, such as physical features, clothing, and injuries, to confirm identities due to the lack of advanced DNA testing equipment.

Since the ceasefire on October 10, 2025, the Gaza Health Ministry has received the remains of 414 Palestinians from 'Israel' through the International Committee of the Red Cross, as part of the first phase of the agreement. Prior to the ceasefire, 'Israel' reportedly held 735 Palestinian bodies in so-called “numbered cemeteries,” according to the Palestinian National Campaign for the Recovery of deaths’ Bodies.

The campaign also cited a July 16 report in the 'Israeli' newspaper Haaretz claiming that the 'Israeli' army holds roughly 1,500 Palestinian bodies from Gaza at the notorious Sdei Teman facility.

The ceasefire ended a two-year campaign of mass killings launched by 'Israel' on October 8, 2023, which resulted in approximately 72,000 deaths, over 171,000 injuries, and the destruction of 90 percent of Gaza’s civilian infrastructure, with reconstruction costs estimated by the UN at $70 billion.