Palestinian forensic specialists say the latest return of remains from Gaza has raised profound legal and ethical concerns, after examinations revealed that most could not be identified using standard scientific methods. Officials described receiving only a handful of near-complete bodies, while the majority consisted of fragmented remains in a condition suggesting a long delay between death and their return, deepening fears that evidence and identities have been irreversibly lost amid the genocidal war.

According to forensic authorities, the condition and presentation of the remains have made documentation exceptionally difficult. Labels attached to the containers reportedly did not correspond to any previously recognised system, frustrating efforts to match individuals with missing persons’ records. Specialists said the inconsistencies appear to undermine families’ right to know the fate of their relatives and prevent the most basic procedures required for dignified burial and legal accountability.

Medical and legal teams working under siege conditions face acute shortages of equipment, including advanced testing technologies, further limiting their ability to carry out identifications. Officials warned that these constraints, combined with the manner in which the remains were returned, place an unbearable burden on families already living through prolonged loss. Relatives are left suspended between hope and mourning, unable to close a chapter or pursue justice, as uncertainty becomes another layer of punishment.

Legal experts argue that the treatment of the dead cannot be separated from the wider pattern of violations seen during the genocidal war. International humanitarian law obliges an occupying power to respect the dead and return remains in a condition that preserves identity and dignity. The continued failure to do so, they say, reflects a broader erosion of legal norms and reinforces a climate of impunity that extends harm beyond the living to those who have already died.