GAZA: Israel returned the bodies of 45 Palestinians to Gaza on Monday (Nov 3), bringing the total number handed over under the ceasefire deal to 270, the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory said.

Under a ceasefire deal brokered by US President Donald Trump, Israel was to turn over the bodies of 15 Palestinians for every deceased Israeli returned.

Following forensic identification, Israel confirmed on Monday that the remains handed over by Hamas the day before belonged to three hostages seized by Palestinian militants during the October 7, 2023, attack that sparked the war.

The remains were those of American-Israeli Captain Omer Neutra, 21 years old at the time of his abduction, Corporal Oz Daniel, 19, and Colonel Assaf Hamami, 40, the highest-ranking officer killed by Hamas.

Hamas's armed wing said it had found the remains earlier on Sunday"along the route of one of the tunnels in the southern Gaza Strip".

Hamas had been holding 48 hostages in Gaza when the truce came into effect on October 10, including 20 who were alive.

Since the start of the truce, Hamas has released the 20 surviving hostages and begun handing over the remains of 28 deceased captives.

Of the latter, it has so far returned 20; 18 Israelis, one Thai national, and one Nepali.

Israel has accused Hamas of dragging its feet in returning the bodies, while the Palestinian group says the process is slow because many remains are buried beneath Gaza's rubble.

It has repeatedly called on mediators and the Red Cross to provide it with the necessary equipment and personnel to recover the bodies.

ISRAEL KILLS THREE PALESTINIANS

The Israeli military killed three Palestinians in the Gaza Strip on Monday, north of the southern city of Rafah, which remains under Israeli control, according to local health authorities, further testing the fragile US-backed ceasefire.

In a statement issued earlier on Monday, the Israeli military said forces identified"terrorists" who crossed the yellow line, which marks areas the army still occupies. It said they were advancing towards troops in southern Gaza, posing an immediate threat, before it struck them.

Medics said one of those killed was a woman. The identity of the two others was not immediately clear.

The incident follows days of Israeli strikes on the enclave, provoking mutual accusations between Hamas and Israel over violations of the tenuous ceasefire that halted two years of war.

Residents said Israeli forces continued to demolish houses in the eastern areas of Rafah, Khan Younis, and Gaza City, where forces continue to operate.

The ceasefire, which came into effect on October 10, has calmed most fighting, allowing hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to return to the ruins of their homes in Gaza. Israel has withdrawn troops from positions in cities, and more aid has been allowed to enter.

But violence has not completely halted. Israel says three of its soldiers have been killed and it has targeted scores of fighters. Palestinian health authorities say Israeli forces have killed 239 people in strikes on Gaza since the truce, nearly half of them in a single day last week when Israel retaliated for an attack on its troops.