DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — In photos, Wahiba Shabat immediately recognized her son’s body. A mother’s heart knows, she said. But when she finally saw his decomposed corpse, she wasn't sure.

Israel had handed over her son's body naked, his hands tied behind his back with a zip tie. Scars around his ankles indicated he’d been bound there too, Shabat said. His jaw was broken, with caked blood in his mouth. She had to feel around for a scar on the back of his head to confirm it was him.

The body of Mahmoud Shabat was among the remains of 195 Palestinians released by Israel over the past 10 days. Their handover is part of an ongoing exchange of the dead, as Hamas gradually returns the remains of 28 hostages under the Gaza ceasefire deal that also brought the release of all living hostages an

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