SACHA PFEIFFER, HOST:
Today, as part of a U.S.-brokered ceasefire in Gaza, Hamas returned the body of an Israeli soldier. But it's not the body of any of the soldiers taken on October 7, 2023. It's that of a soldier killed in a previous Gaza war and held there for more than 11 years. He'd become a national symbol in Israel. His return may be a sign that both sides are ready to move to the next stage of the Gaza ceasefire. For what that might entail, we go now to NPR's Lauren Frayer in Tel Aviv. Hi, Lauren.
LAUREN FRAYER, BYLINE: Hi, Sacha.
PFEIFFER: We have, for weeks, been covering these exchanges of human remains between Israel and Gaza. What is especially significant about what happened today?
FRAYER: Today was the end of a saga that Israelis have followed since 2014. Hadar Goldin was 23 when he was killed in a previous Gaza war. His family waged a very public campaign for his body's return. A hostage forum said today, the people of Israel have walked beside them in their struggle. There had already been a funeral for Goldin. My colleague Daniel Estrin actually covered it back in 2014. The coffin then contained part of just a blood-soaked shirt that belonged to him. Now the Israeli military has sent out photos of another coffin, this time with his body in it. Goldin's photo and those of his parents, his twin brother, his fiance, they are very familiar to lots of Israelis.
PFEIFFER: Is Israel doing something in exchange for that body?
FRAYER: So Israel returns the bodies of 15 Palestinians who've been held in Israel, and we don't know their names, and we don't have their photos. And that's because Gaza's health ministry says only about a third of the total Palestinian bodies transferred to Gaza during this ceasefire have been identified amid a lack of DNA kits in Gaza.
PFEIFFER: And Lauren, what does this latest exchange mean for the Gaza ceasefire?
FRAYER: I mean, returning Goldin's body has long been a big Israeli demand, and Hamas has now met that demand. Today, Hamas' armed wing issued a statement saying, quote, "we adhered to our obligation." So this could certainly be seen as a gesture of good faith. The past few weeks, you'll recall, both sides have accused the other of violations of the ceasefire. You know, Israel's been accusing Hamas of delaying the transfer of bodies. Hamas points out Israel has continued to strike parts of Gaza, killing people. And yesterday, the Gaza health ministry announced the death toll in this war has now exceeded 69,000. So it passed that milestone during a ceasefire.
PFEIFFER: And what is the next step in the ceasefire?
FRAYER: Phase 1 was halting violence, exchanging bodies, boosting humanitarian aid into Gaza. Phase 2 is disarming Hamas, deploying an international security force and governing Gaza postwar. And none of that has been worked out yet. This international force may be comprised of non-Western troops, possibly from Muslim or Arab countries. Turkey has been involved in those talks, but an Israeli government spokesperson said today, there will be no Turkish boots on the ground. Israel is not in favor of Turkey being part of that force. There are also some negotiations over about 200 Hamas fighters thought to be trapped in tunnels in Rafah in southern Gaza. Israel's demanded they surrender or be killed. The U.S. floated a proposal that they'd be freed into Gaza in exchange for disarming and for Goldin's body. And now that latter has happened, that exchange.
PFEIFFER: The world's attention has been largely focused on Gaza, but there's also been a lot of violence in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Lauren, you've been covering the story of a Florida teenager arrested there. Tell us about him.
FRAYER: Yeah, Mohammed Ibrahim - he's a Palestinian American. His family splits their time between the Tampa area and the Israeli-occupied West Bank. And last February, Israeli soldiers arrested him for allegedly throwing stones. They took him from his bed, blindfolded and handcuffed him. That's according to his mother who watched it all happen. Mohammed was 15 at the time. And he's one of more than 9,000 Palestinians, including hundreds of children, who've been detained by Israeli soldiers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since October 7. That's according to official Palestinian figures. And more than a thousand Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank and East Jerusalem in that time frame. That's according to the U.N.
Mohammed has been in prison nearly nine months, and he faces up to 20 years if convicted. His family says he's lost a third of his body weight, that he's suffering from scabies. Members of Congress have called for his release saying he may have, quote, "signs of torture." And today, Mohammed had his tenth court hearing. His parents have been hoping for a plea bargain or his release, but his father tells me proceedings were adjourned today until December 15, so effectively extending his imprisonment until then. The family has been frustrated with what they perceive as a lack of U.S. government action, but the State Department tells me U.S. ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, is deeply involved in Mohammed's case.
PFEIFFER: That's NPR's Lauren Frayer in Tel Aviv. Lauren, thank you.
FRAYER: You're welcome. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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