• Israel returned the bodies of 45 Palestinians to Gaza, totaling 270 since the ceasefire began.
• Hamas handed over the remains of several Israeli hostages, with ongoing accusations of stalling from Israel.
• The ceasefire allows humanitarian aid to flow but has not completely stopped violence, with casualties on both sides.
• Forensic identification of remains is complicated due to the devastation in Gaza following two years of conflict.

Israel returned the bodies of 45 Palestinians to Gaza on November 3, raising the total number exchanged under a ceasefire deal to 270, according to Channel News Asia. The ceasefire, brokered by the U.S., stipulates that for every Israeli body returned, Israel must return 15 Palestinians' remains. Recent exchanges include the remains of three hostages confirmed by Israel, who were taken during the October 7 Hamas-led attack that commenced the ongoing conflict.

In the context of this conflict, Hamas indicated that it had recovered and handed over the body of Staff Sergeant Itay Chen, believed to be one of the deceased hostages. This body was transferred to Israel via the Red Cross, as confirmed by both Reuters and Los Angeles Times. The recovery and return process for the bodies has been complex and is hampered by the extensive destruction in Gaza.

While the ceasefire has allowed humanitarian assistance to improve, violence persists, as Israeli airstrikes have continued in response to perceived threats from Hamas. Reports state that since the ceasefire began, Israeli forces have killed approximately 239 individuals in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run health ministry, amid mutual accusations between Hamas and Israel of ceasefire violations, as reported by CBS News and BBC.

Adding to the complexity, forensic identification of the remains has been challenging due to a lack of resources in Gaza, where the health ministry has been tasked with posting photos of unidentified bodies online, hoping families may recognize them, as outlined by both Channel News Asia and Reuters.