CAIRO — Israel transferred 88 Palestinian dead from the Gaza Strip to Egypt on Wednesday during its operation in the territory. The health ministry has accused Israel of taking too long to release the names of the victims and further asked for Israel to explain where its forces killed them before bodies were allowed to be taken for burial.

The bodies were brought into Gaza in a container that was loaded on a truck through an Israeli-controlled crossing; Palestinian officials regardingauer there was no information provided concerning the names or the ages of the victims or the places where they were killed.

Practitioners of health at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis refused to accept them and bury them; they called on the international community of the Red Cross International Committee ICRC to ask for further information from Israel.

The health ministry has stopped the procedures from receiving the container that contains the bodies until the total information, including data and information of those bodies for identification by their families,” the statement added. 

The head of the Hamas-run Gaza government media office was quoted as saying that the health ministry officials instructed the driver of the truck to return the bodies of dead Palestinians to the Israeli crossing through which he had entered. They also demanded to know where the victims were killed.

The bodies were brought into Gaza in a container loaded on a truck through an Israeli-controlled crossing. Still, according to Palestinian officials, there was no information provided about the names or ages of the victims or the locations where they were killed.

Health officials at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis refused to receive them and bury them, urging the International Committee of the Red Cross ICRC to seek details from Israel.

“The health ministry halted the procedures to receive the container (carrying the bodies) until the completion of the full data and information about those bodies so their relatives can identify them,” the ministry said in a statement.

The head of the Hamas-run Gaza government media office said health ministry officials told the driver of the truck to bring the bodies of dead Palestinians back to the Israeli crossing from which he had arrived. The car then left the hospital to take some other long distance.

“They have to abide by the international humanitarian law as well as how the dead and their families should be treated,” Ismail Al-Thawabta said. The Red Cross stated that they were not involved in transferring the diseased.

“We reaffirm once more that every family has a right to know what has happened with its close ones and to bury them with dignity and by their culture,” – reporters stated in their declaration.

International Humanitarian Law states that any person who dies during armed conflict must be dealt with decently and adequately. They have to be searched for, gathered and evacuated as the law demands, thus eliminating cases of people getting lost, noted the ICRC.