GAZA STRIP — Doctors in Gaza have alleged that many of the 90 bodies of Palestinians returned by Israeli authorities show signs of torture and summary execution, including bound hands and gunshot wounds to the head.

The bodies were received at Nasser hospital in Khan Younis on Wednesday as part of a US-brokered ceasefire agreement. Dr Ahmed al-Farra, head of the hospital's paediatric department, said there was substantial evidence of severe mistreatment, The Guardian reported

“Almost all of them had been blindfolded, had been bound up, and they had gunshots between the eyes. Almost all of them had been executed,” Dr al-Farra said. 

“There were also scars and discoloured patches of skin showing they had been beaten before being killed. There were also signs that their bodies had been abused after they were killed.”

The bodies were transferred to the hospital by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). Hospital authorities said the bodies were unidentifiable, arriving with numbered labels but no names, and that they lack the means to conduct DNA analysis.

The Israel Defence Forces referred inquiries on the allegations to the Israel Prison Service, which has been approached for comment.

The return of bodies has been a major point of contention in the ceasefire implementation. As part of the deal, Hamas has been handing over the remains of Israeli hostages who died during the war, while Israel transfers the bodies of Palestinians killed during the fighting.

This latest allegation comes as the International Criminal Court is already investigating war crime allegations against both sides in the two-year conflict, including the killing of 15 Palestinian paramedics whose bodies were found in a shallow grave in March with their hands and feet bound.

Tensions escalated earlier when Israel threatened to slow down humanitarian aid to Gaza, citing delays in the return of hostage remains by Hamas. On Wednesday evening, Hamas said it had handed back all the remains it could currently access.