The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) denied any involvement in the process of the Israeli army returning the bodies of Palestinian martyrs to the Gaza Strip. The Red Cross stated in a statement on Friday that it did not play any role in Israel's return of eighty corpses of Palestinians killed in Gaza.
Sarah Davis, spokesperson for the committee in Jerusalem, said, "We are aware of reports indicating that the International Committee of the Red Cross participated in the recent transfer of bodies from Israel to Gaza. We have not participated in this process at any time." She added, "In all cases where people are killed or die during conflict, their bodies should be treated with respect and dignity. The remains of the individuals should be recovered and properly cared for, and their identities established to help prevent and resolve the tragedy of missing persons due to armed conflicts."
Distorted Corpses and Missing Organs
The government media office in Gaza stated that "the Israeli occupation delivered the bodies of 80 distorted martyrs and stole their organs during the genocide it is committing in the Gaza Strip since October 7." It added that "the occupation handed over the bodies, which were unidentified and distorted, via the Kerem Shalom crossing for burial in the Rafah governorate (southern Gaza Strip)."
The government media in Gaza clarified that upon examining the bodies, it became evident that the features of the martyrs had changed significantly, indicating that the occupation had stolen vital organs from the bodies of these martyrs, and that the delay in their delivery is part of this context.
For his part, Hamas leader Osama Hamdan called on the Red Cross to clarify "regarding the receipt of the bodies of martyrs from the occupation without knowing their identities and to investigate the matter."
