Sixth day of Gaza ceasefire: exchange of bodies continues amid Israeli violations

On the sixth day of the ceasefire agreement, the first phase of implementing the understandings between Israel and Hamas continues, which includes the exchange of the bodies of the dead and of prisoners.

The al-Qassam Brigades handed over the bodies of two Israeli captives, saying they are the last bodies that can be delivered in this phase, while retrieving the remaining bodies requires special equipment. In recent days, the Brigades had handed over the bodies of ten Israelis out of the 28 they hold. Meanwhile, the Palestinian Ministry of Health received the bodies of 45 unidentified Palestinians, bringing the total to 90 unidentified Palestinian bodies handed over during this phase.

In this context, the Israeli army announced that the Rafah crossing will open today, Thursday, after being delayed 24 hours for “technical” reasons; a number of wounded and sick are scheduled to travel for treatment, while the return of those stranded in Egypt was postponed for several additional days.

On the ground, the Israeli army continued violations of the ceasefire agreement: three civilians were killed by Israeli gunfire in the Shujaiya neighborhood, while three others later succumbed to their wounds. Israeli reconnaissance aircraft also continued intensive flights over the Gaza Strip’s airspace.

According to the daily statistical report issued by the Ministry of Health, hospitals in the Strip received in the past 24 hours 25 fatalities (including 16 bodies recovered) and 35 wounded. This brings the toll of the Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip since October 7, 2023, to 67,938 dead and 170,169 wounded.