Palestinian authorities report bodies returned with missing organs and signs of abuse

Palestinian authorities report bodies returned with missing organs and signs of abuse

On October 17, 2025, officials in the Gaza Strip reported that the bodies of Palestinian detainees and prisoners returned from Israeli custody showed missing organs and other injuries, prompting calls for an international investigation. The reports were issued after dozens of bodies were transferred from Israel to Gaza under a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement.

Ismail Thawabta, director of the government media office in Gaza, stated that more than 120 bodies arrived in “deplorable condition,” with some blindfolded and bound, and that parts of many corpses, including eyes, corneas, and other organs, were missing. He described these findings as evidence of “stealing human organs while holding the bodies.”

Gaza health officials and medical personnel reported additional signs of torture and execution on several bodies, including burns, fractures, rope marks, and signs of prolonged detention without burial. Dr. Munir al‑Bursh, director‑general of Gaza’s Health Ministry, described bodies as arriving bound, blindfolded, and bearing marks of torture and burns, and said some appeared to have been executed after restraint.

Palestinian authorities urged the international community and human rights organizations to form an independent investigation committee to examine the treatment of detainees and the condition of returned corpses. They described the allegations as serious violations of international humanitarian law.

The Israeli military did not immediately issue a public response to the specific allegations regarding missing organs and signs of torture. The context of the reports is the broader two‑year conflict in Gaza and the implementation of a ceasefire agreement that included prisoner and body exchanges between Israeli authorities and Hamas.