A spokeswoman for the army said the operation had been completed. The army said its ambulances had met Red Crescent ones at checkpoints, and the bodies were transferred and taken to Palestinian hospitals for identification before being given to the families. Since a wave of violence erupted at the start of October, 138 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces, according to an AFP count, most while carrying out attacks on Israelis.
Israel does not always immediately return the bodies of slain attackers. Twenty Israelis, an American and an Eritrean have also been killed in the unrest. The military spokeswoman said that after Friday's handovers the army would have returned a total of 76 bodies and was still holding two. Police could also be holding more bodies, she said. Palestinian sources said the Israelis were still holding a total of 17 bodies.