Hostage-prisoner exchanges continue as Gazans criticize aid distribution
Israel on Saturday identified the body of another hostage handed over by Hamas, and the Gaza Health Ministry confirmed that it received an additional 15 Palestinian bodies. Meanwhile, the U.S. is reportedly set to take over aid distribution efforts in the Strip, as Palestinians living in the region say the nutritional value of aid they’ve received is severely lacking.
Israeli military identifies hostage remains
On Saturday, the Israeli military announced that it had identified the remains of Lior Rudaeff, a 61-year-old Israeli-Argentinian who was taken hostage on Oct. 7, 2023. In a post to social media, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said that Rudaeff was the deputy security coordinator of Nir Yitzhak, a kibbutz that was attacked by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad as part of Hamas’ surprise offensive.
Rudaeff reportedly died on May 7, 2024. However, his body was not recovered until Friday.
“The IDF expresses deep condolences to the family, continues to make every effort to return all the deceased hostages, and is prepared for the continued implementation of the agreement,” the Israeli military wrote in its post. “Hamas is required to fulfill its part of the agreement and make the necessary efforts to return all the hostages to their families and to a dignified burial.”
To date, Hamas has returned the remaining 20 living hostages that were in its captivity in the lead up to the ceasefire agreement, which went into effect on Oct. 10, as well as 23 of the 28 hostages who have been killed. The IDF, meanwhile, has returned the bodies of 300 Palestinians it had been keeping in its jails.
300 Palestinians returned to Gaza officials
As part of the U.S.-brokered ceasefire, Israel agreed to hand over 15 Palestinians, in exchange for every hostage –– alive or dead –– returned by Hamas. Following the identification of Rudaeff on Saturday, the Gaza Health Ministry confirmed it had received another 15 bodies from Israel, through mediators working with the International Committee of the Red Cross.
Palestinian health officials have described the bodies returned by Israel as being “mutilated” and showing signs of torture, including beatings, bound hands, blindfolds and facial disfigurement, according to Turkish media outlet TRT World.
People are also relying on physical markings and the remnants of clothes to identify their family members, as Gaza’s forensic labs and DNA testing capabilities have been wiped out over the past two years. So far, 89 of the 300 bodies returned have been positively identified.
Death toll continues to climb
Israel launched its offensive against Hamas shortly after the militant group launched a surprise attack on the country, killing roughly 1,500 Israelis, mostly civilians, and taking another 251 hostage.
Since then, the Israeli military has killed at least 69,169 Palestinians and wounded more than 150,000 others, many of whom have suffered life-altering injuries. The death toll in Gaza will continue to climb as officials and international aid organizations sift through the enclave’s ruins.
While the ceasefire has largely held over the past month, at least 241 additional Palestinians have been killed since it went into effect on Oct. 10. Israeli settlers living in the occupied West Bank have also ramped up attacks on Palestinian farmers, as well as journalists, medics and international activists, The Associated Press reports.
“It’s a pattern we see every day,” said Jonathan Pollak, an activist who was struck in the head by a rock during a recent attack. “This is just one finger in the iron fist of Israeli policy aiming to ethnically cleanse Palestinians from their land.”
US to oversee Gaza aid distribution
Aside from hostage and prisoner exchanges, the current ceasefire also requires Israel to allow the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza. On Friday, the Washington Post reported that the U.S. would be taking over humanitarian aid distribution, and that Israel would play a “secondary role.”
The operations will be overseen by the Civil-Military Coordination Center, a de facto peacekeeping force staffed by personnel from the U.S. and numerous other countries. According to a U.S. official who spoke with the Post, Israel will still be “part of the conversation” with regard to aid distribution, but “decisions will be taken by a wider body.”
The Jerusalem Post reports that a more robust American role in aid distribution comes after U.S. Central Command operating in the enclave posted a video allegedly showing members of Hamas looting aid trucks. Such allegations have been levied against the militant group throughout the war, though they have largely been debunked by international observers.
‘The hunger continues’
On Saturday, The New Arab posted interviews with Gaza officials and residents who say the aid flowing into the Strip is severely lacking in nutritional value, and that it does nothing to alleviate the famine and malnutrition that have gripped the region.
Residents said that basic foods, medicine and fuel continue to be in short supply. At the same time, however, nonessential items such as chocolate, coffee and chips are available. Additionally, the limited quantities of essential foods such as rice, flour, meat, poultry and dairy being delivered are either expired or prohibitively expensive.
International aid organizations have maintained that upwards of 600 trucks of aid are required every day to alleviate the widespread suffering in Gaza. Ismail al-Thawabta, director of Gaza’s Government Media Office, told The New Arab that from the start of the ceasefire on Oct. 10 through Nov. 5, 4,453 aid trucks –– or roughly 24% of the agreed 600 trucks per day –– have entered Gaza.
“The goods in the market are useless to us,” said 40-year-old Abu Bilal al-Sheikh Khalil. “What are we supposed to do with noodles, chips and chocolate? Real food like meat, chicken and fish is missing –– and when available, it’s unaffordable. We haven’t eaten chicken or fish for more than eight months. The hunger continues despite the ceasefire.”
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Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
