KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza — On Friday, Israel returned the bodies of 15 Palestinians to Gaza, according to officials at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis. This action is part of the ongoing efforts to uphold the terms of a fragile ceasefire agreement brokered by the United States.

The return of the bodies followed the handover of Meny Godard, one of the last four Israeli hostages taken during the October 7 attack that initiated the current conflict. Godard was abducted from Kibbutz Be’eri in southern Israel, and his wife, Ayelet, was killed during the attack. The armed factions of Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad reported that Godard's body was recovered in southern Gaza.

Since the ceasefire began on October 10, a total of 25 hostages have been returned to Israel. There are still three hostages remaining in Gaza that need to be recovered. Hamas previously returned 20 living hostages to Israel on October 13. For each hostage returned, Israel has released the remains of 15 Palestinians, a key component of the ceasefire's initial phase.

To date, Israel has returned a total of 330 Palestinian bodies, with only 95 of them formally identified, according to Gaza Health Ministry officials. The process of identifying the remains has been complicated by a shortage of DNA testing kits. On Friday, the bodies of 27 unidentified Palestinians were buried in Gaza.

As winter weather sets in, displaced families in Gaza are struggling to cope with the harsh conditions. Many are living in makeshift shelters that are vulnerable to the elements. Abdel Rahim Halawa, a father of seven, expressed concern about the rain damaging their living situation. "All of the mattresses and blankets got drenched this evening. If more rain comes on us, we don’t know how we can live anymore," he said.

Some families have taken refuge in partially destroyed buildings, despite warnings from local committees about the dangers. Saed Salhi, who is living with his family in a structure supported by a single column, stated, "Yes, it might collapse. Some committees came and told us it’s forbidden to live inside of it, but we have no alternative, especially in the winter with the severe cold."

In related news, the U.N. human rights chief, Volker Türk, condemned a recent surge in violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinians in the West Bank. Reports indicate that over 260 attacks by settlers occurred in October, the highest monthly total since 2006. Türk urged an end to the violence and called for accountability from the Israeli government.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog denounced the attacks as "shocking and serious," while the Israeli military's chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, stated that the military would not tolerate the actions of a minority of criminals tarnishing the reputation of law-abiding citizens.

The ongoing conflict has resulted in significant casualties, with Gaza’s Health Ministry reporting over 69,100 Palestinian deaths since the start of the military offensive in response to the October 7 attack, which killed approximately 1,200 people in Israel. The next steps in the ceasefire plan include establishing an international stabilization force, forming a technocratic Palestinian government, and disarming Hamas.

The situation remains fluid as both sides continue to navigate the complexities of the ceasefire agreement and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.