<div><span style="font-size: 1rem;"><b>Palestinians buried dozens of bodies in a mass grave in southern Gaza today, after officials said Israel returned remains it had exhumed from the territory.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>An AFP photographer saw Gazans moving the bodies in blue plastic shrouds from a truck toward the newly dug mass grave east of Rafah.</div><div><br></div><div>Health ministry employees wearing white protective clothing lowered them into the ground, near the tents of people displaced by the Israel-Hamas war.</div><div><br></div><div>A Palestinian source at the Rafah border crossing with Egypt told AFP the bodies returned had been “stolen by the occupation (Israeli) army during its incursion” into Gaza.</div><div><br></div><div>A second source at Gaza’s ministry of religious affairs told AFP that Israel “stole them from Bani Suheila cemetery, east of Khan Younis” around two weeks ago.</div><div><br></div><div>The Israeli military did not respond to a request to comment, although it has previously made remarks about exhuming bodies from Gaza graves in search of Israeli hostages.</div><div><br></div><div>“The hostage identification process, conducted at a secure and alternative location, ensures optimal professional conditions and respect for the deceased,” the military said yesterday.</div><div><br></div><div>The government media office in Hamas-run Gaza accused Israel of removing organs from the bodies, an allegation the military did not respond to when contacted by AFP.</div><div><br></div><div>In November and December, AFP journalists also witnessed the reburial of bodies which Gaza officials said had been exhumed by Israeli forces.</div><div><br></div><div>Israel’s relentless military offensive has killed at least 26,751 people in Gaza, most of them women and children, according to the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry.</div><div><br></div><div>The war was triggered by Hamas’ unprecedented Oct 7 attack that resulted in about 1,140 deaths in Israel, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of official figures.</div><div><br></div><div>Fighters also seized 250 hostages, of whom Israel says around 132 remain in Gaza, including the bodies of at least 28 dead captives. - AFP&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>