Israel handed over the bodies of 15 Palestinians on Wednesday, a day after Hamas returned the remains of an Israeli hostage. This is the latest swap as part of a US-brokered ceasefire reached last month, whose first phase is coming to an end.
The International Committee of the Red Cross said it helped transfer the bodies to Gaza.
The remains of two hostages, one Israeli and a Thai national, remain in Gaza. Hamas said Wednesday it was determined to uphold its side of the agreement and return them both.
Meanwhile, Turkish, Qatari and Egyptian mediators met in Cairo on Tuesday to discuss the second phase of the ceasefire, reached on Oct. 10,
The next phases will include deploying an armed International Stabilization Force, or ISF, and developing an international body to govern Gaza and oversee reconstruction. The ISF will be tasked with keeping security and ensuring the disarmament of Hamas, a key demand of Israel. Indonesian officials have said they plan to deploy 20,000 peacekeepers to the force.
Major questions hang over nearly every part of the plan and the time frame for implementation of the fragile ceasefire that has held despite accusations of violations by both sides.
In the meantime, nearly all Palestinians remain displaced and dependent on humanitarian aid, Hamas retains significant control over nearly half of Gaza and the rebuilding of the territory has barely begun.
According to the ceasefire, Israel has agreed to return 15 Palestinian bodies for each hostage recovered. So far, 345 Palestinian bodies have been returned, said the Gaza Health Ministry.
The ministry said only 99 bodies have been identified. It says identifying the remains is complicated by a lack of DNA testing kits in Gaza.
