The al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of the Hamas resistance movement, announced Wednesday evening that it has fully complied with the terms of the current prisoner exchange agreement by handing over all living Israeli captives, as well as the bodies it was able to recover from the ruins of Gaza.

In an official statement posted on its account on X, the Brigades emphasized that “what remains of the bodies requires significant efforts and specialized equipment to locate and recover,” confirming that their teams are “exerting great effort to close this file with full transparency and humanitarian commitment.”

The statement came shortly before the scheduled transfer of two bodies of Israeli captives at 10 p.m., under the terms of the Operation al-Aqsa Flood prisoner exchange deal.

For its part, the Israeli occupation army acknowledged that the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) was en route to a meeting point inside Gaza to receive the remains of several Israeli captives who were killed during the course of the war.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health in Gaza confirmed that it has received the bodies of 45 Palestinian martyrs released by the Israeli occupation through the ICRC, bringing the total number of recovered bodies to 90 since the beginning of the exchange process.

In a statement, the ministry said that medical teams are handling the bodies “with utmost care and respect, in accordance with approved forensic and humanitarian standards,” before completing documentation and returning them to their families for proper burial.

Despite overwhelming destruction and severe shortages of medical supplies, Gaza’s health workers continue their mission with remarkable resilience. The ministry reaffirmed its commitment to “upholding human dignity, both in life and in death,” calling attention to the unbearable conditions faced by its exhausted medical staff.

The International Committee of the Red Cross also called on all parties to ensure the “dignified handling of human remains,” as stipulated under international humanitarian law and as part of the ongoing ceasefire agreement.

Even as the humanitarian exchange process continues, the Israeli occupation has once again violated the fragile ceasefire by launching renewed drone strikes on several areas across the Gaza Strip.

According to local sources, at least seven Palestinians were martyred and several others injured as Israeli drones targeted civilians attempting to return to their homes amid the ruins.

Five Palestinians were martyred in a brutal strike on the al-Shujaiya neighborhood east of Gaza City, while Israeli warplanes bombed the Halawa displacement camp in Jabalia al-Balad, north of the Strip, wounding multiple displaced civilians.

In southern Gaza, a Palestinian man was killed and another injured in an Israeli drone attack on al-Fakhari, east of Khan Younis. Additional strikes were reported near the Aabasan Clinic and along Abu Salah Street in Aabasan al-Kabira, sowing fear and panic among residents who had only just begun to emerge from shelters.

Israeli media outlets have admitted that the occupation’s military resumed its attacks merely three days after the ceasefire took effect, undermining ongoing humanitarian efforts and deepening the suffering of Gaza’s besieged population.

While the Palestinian resistance continues to uphold its commitments under the prisoner exchange agreement, the Israeli occupation’s repeated violations expose the fragility of the truce and its disregard for international norms.

For the people of Gaza—still mourning their dead, tending to their wounded, and burying their martyrs—Israel’s renewed aggression serves as a stark reminder that even in supposed “ceasefire,” the bombs never truly stop falling.

Despite everything, the steadfastness (sumud) of Gaza’s people endures. From the medical staff who continue their sacred duty under fire to the resistance fighters working to honor their obligations, Gaza once again proves that its spirit cannot be broken by siege or by war. (ILKHA)