DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Hospital officials in Gaza said they have received the bodies of 15 Palestinians from Israel.

The announcement, made by officials at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, brings the number of Palestinian bodies returned to Gaza to 285.

The latest return of bodies of the fragile Israel-Hamas ceasefire came a day after Palestinian militants in Gaza handed over the body of an Israeli soldier taken hostage in the Oct. 7, 2023 attack that started the war.

Hamas has returned the remains of 21 hostages to Israel under a ceasefire that began Oct. 10, which is aimed at winding down the deadliest and most destructive war ever fought between Israel and the Palestinian militant group.

Militants in Gaza have released one to three bodies every few days. Israel has pushed

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