Palestinian death toll in Gaza tops 68,000 as Israel identifies a 10th hostage's remains

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TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Gaza 's ruins were being scoured for the dead on Saturday, over a week into a ceasefire as newly recovered bodies brought the Palestinian toll above 68,000.

Israel said the remains of a tenth hostage that Hamas handed over the day before were identified as Eliyahu Margalit.

The handover of hostages’ remains, called for under the ceasefire agreement, is among key points — along with aid deliveries into Gaza and the devastated territory's future — in a process backed by much of the international community to help end two years of war.

Israel’s Prime Minister’s Office said Margalit's family had been notified. The 76-year-old was abducted from Kibbutz Nir Oz during the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, attack that sparked the war. His remains were found after bulldozers plowed up pits in the southern city of Khan Younis.

The effort to find the remaining 18 hostages followed a warning from U.S. President Donald Trump that he would green-light Israel to resume the war if Hamas doesn’t live up to its end of the deal and return them all.

In a statement, the hostage forum that supports the families of those abducted said they won’t rest until the remaining hostages come home. The forum said it will continue holding weekly rallies until all are returned.

Hamas has said it is committed to the terms of the ceasefire deal but that the retrieval of remains is hampered by the scope of the devastation and the presence of unexploded ordnance. The group has told mediators that some remains are in areas controlled by Israeli troops.

As part of the ceasefire agreement, Israel on Saturday returned the bodies of a further 15 Palestinians to Gaza. Gaza's Health Ministry said the International Committee of the Red Cross handed over the bodies to Nasser Hospital, bringing the total number Israel had returned to 135.

In announcing the updated Palestinian death toll, the ministry said the number has climbed since the ceasefire began, with the majority of the newly counted bodies being found during recovery efforts.

Thousands of people are still missing, according to the Red Cross.

Hamas again accused Israel of continuing attacks and violating the ceasefire, asserting that 38 Palestinians had been killed since it began. There was no immediate response from Israel, which still maintains control of about half of Gaza.

On Friday, Gaza's Civil Defense, first responders operating under the Hamas-run Interior Ministry, said nine people were killed, including women and children, when their vehicle was hit by Israeli fire in Gaza City. The Civil Defense said the car crossed into an Israeli-controlled area in eastern Gaza.

The Civil Defense said Israel could have warned the people in a manner that wasn't lethal. The group recovered the bodies Saturday with coordination from the United Nations, it said.

Israel's army said it saw a “suspicious vehicle” crossing the so-called yellow line and approaching troops. It said it fired warning shots but the vehicle continued to approach in a manner that posed an “imminent threat.” The army said it acted in accordance with the ceasefire.

Hamas has urged mediators to increase the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza for its 2 million people, expedite the opening of the Rafah border crossing with Egypt and start reconstruction of the battered territory.

The flow of aid remains constrained because of continued closures of crossings and Israeli restrictions on aid groups.

U.N. data on Friday showed 339 trucks have been offloaded for distribution in Gaza since the ceasefire began. Under the agreement, some 600 aid trucks per day should be allowed to enter.

COGAT, the Israeli defense body overseeing aid in Gaza, reported 950 trucks — including commercial trucks and bilateral deliveries — crossing on Thursday and 716 on Wednesday, the U.N. said.

Throughout the war, Israel restricted aid to Gaza, sometimes halting it altogether.

International food security experts declared famine in Gaza City, and the U.N. says it has verified more than 400 people who died of malnutrition-related causes, including over 100 children.

Israel has long said it let in enough food and accused Hamas of stealing much of it. The U.N. and other aid agencies deny the claim.

Gaza's Health Ministry is part of the Hamas-run government. It maintains detailed casualty records that are seen as generally reliable by U.N. agencies and independent experts. Israel has disputed them without providing its own toll.

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Magdy reported from Cairo.

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