Israel has returned the bodies of 30 Palestinians to Gaza, the Hamas-run health ministry says, as part of an exchange agreed in the ceasefire deal, the BBC reports.
Hamas earlier returned the remains of two Israelis – the deal says Israel will return 15 Palestinian bodies for every Israeli body.
So far, Hamas has returned all 20 living hostages but only nine of the 28 dead hostages – the group says it needs specialist equipment to find the others.
The delay has raised fears the ceasefire could collapse, but senior US advisers downplay the threat, saying Hamas intends to “honor” the deal.
Meanwhile, Israel says “preparations are ongoing” for opening the Rafah crossing for people in Gaza, but aid will only enter through other checkpoints.
