Five Palestinians were released on Monday after months in Israeli custody, crossing back into Gaza through Karem Abu Salem under the supervision of the Red Cross.

They were taken to Deir al-Balah, where relatives gathered anxiously outside Al-Aqsa Hospital as the men underwent medical examinations. Their return offered a rare moment of relief in a place numbed by loss.

Elsewhere, sorrow deepened.

The remains of 45 Palestinian prisoners arrived in Khan Younis the same day, transferred through Kisufim crossing.

It was the tenth handover of its kind, bringing the total number of bodies returned to 270.

Only a fraction—75—have been identified so far, leaving dozens of families waiting, still unsure if their missing loved ones are among the dead.