Gaza: Director of Forensic Medicine at Nasser Medical Complex in southern Gaza, Dr. Ahmed Duheir, stated that they are using primitive methods to identify the bodies of Palestinian martyrs that are received at the complex from the Israeli occupation via the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
According to Qatar News Agency, Dr. Duheir emphasized that the forensic medicine department in Gaza lacks the tools and technology necessary to conduct DNA tests on the bodies of martyrs. He noted that the ongoing Israeli aggression has rendered most hospitals in the Gaza Strip out of service, thereby complicating the work of forensic doctors and hindering their ability to identify the bodies of martyrs received.
Dr. Duheir revealed that the Israeli occupation has only informed the ICRC of the names of three bodies out of the 45 martyrs whose bodies were handed over on Wednesday and brought to Nasser Medical Complex. He explained that working teams, in coordination with the Red Cross, are attempting to gather data on the remaining bodies.
He highlighted that the remaining bodies arrived without any identifying information, markings, or details about their owners. Dr. Duheir explained that if no information is received within a few days, the bodies would be buried according to a specific mechanism and map, with numbered graves and official registration, as per the Ministry of Health’s protocols. This system would allow families to identify the bodies later if identifying information becomes available.
The Ministry of Health in Gaza announced on Thursday that it had received the bodies of 30 martyrs released by the Israeli occupation via the Red Cross, bringing the total number of bodies received to 120.
The transfer of the bodies of the Palestinian martyrs is part of a prisoner exchange deal between Hamas and Israel, linked to the ceasefire agreement to end the Israeli conflict in Gaza. As part of the first phase of the deal, Hamas released 20 live Israelis, while the occupation released 250 prisoners with long sentences and life sentences, along with 1,718 prisoners from the Gaza Strip who were detained after October 7, 2023.