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From ceasefire to corpses — the macabre story of Gaza’s deceased. The fragile ceasefire persists, violated at times but with a much-reduced death count. Palestinians can sleep at night, their ears no longer hammered by the sinister buzzing of Israeli drones and blasts of bombs terrifying every surviving soul.

The exchange of living hostages and detainees was surprisingly smooth, given the circumstances and lack of trust.

Yet it is the dead that have proven more problematic. Israel has threatened punishment for Hamas, which typically means all Palestinians in Gaza, if the remaining 16 hostage bodies are not returned.

Hamas claims it cannot locate them. One can never be sure if this is true but the extenuating circumstances make the claim look pretty credible.

The UN that more than 61 million tonnes of rubble now decorate Gaza, enough to build 15 Great Pyramids of Giza or 25 Eiffel Towers by volume. This is not just any old rubble but collapsed homes, hospitals, schools, libraries and bakeries, all of which is at risk of dangerous contamination from unexploded ordnance or toxins such as asbestos. Hamas has requested assistance and the provision of vital equipment such as diggers. Again, that is surely fair. It needs fuel for this too. Turkiye has deployed 81 experts with experience in earthquake response.

An independent investigation into everything that has happened in Gaza is required. Every destroyed building should be analyzed

Chris Doyle

Another challenge is that Israeli forces still control 53 percent of the Gaza Strip. An invisible yellow line defines this area. Yellow has come to equal death. Although Palestinians cannot see the line, and for the most part do not even know it exists, it appears the Israeli forces know where it is. The killing of 11 members of one family at Zeitoun on Friday appears to reinforce this.

The corpses of Israeli hostages have to be found. Nothing will progress unless progress is made on this front.

But what about Palestinian corpses? The estimate of 10,000 corpses under the rubble has been referenced for some time. The true number must be higher. Dozens have been recovered since the ceasefire. Forensics in Gaza is basic and, like everything else, the expertise and facilities have been smashed, so identifying the bodies is often impossible. Perhaps clothing or shoes will provide clues. Will Israel help clear the rubble in the 53 percent of the Strip it controls to allow the dignified return of bodies?

The international media largely downplays, or even ignores, the lesser valued corpses.

In the same way, Israel has released at least 135 Palestinian bodies so far as part of the deal. Were there any autopsy reports or official explanations of how they died? Palestinian officials say there were not even identification documents. What there were, they claimed, were signs of torture, burns and even execution. A Gaza health official described them as being “bound like animals, blindfolded” and that they “bore horrific signs of torture and burns that reveal the extent of the crimes committed in secret.” The images on social media are grim. Palestinians claim there were tank track marks on some of the bodies, showing they may have been run over while alive.

Where is the focus on the UN that stated that at least 75 Palestinian detainees have died in Israeli jails over the last two years?

Gaza is still packed full of walking corpses: the emaciated bodies of the severely malnourished

Chris Doyle

Israel will deny all this but it is why an independent investigation into everything that has happened in Gaza is required. The whole enclave is one massive crime scene. Every destroyed building should be analyzed for evidence as to what happened.

Israel has a long history of retaining Palestinian corpses. Israeli human rights organizations still carry of when Israel was using captive corpses in the 1990s. Israel holds Palestinian bodies as bargaining chips for future negotiations, a practice it resumed in 2015. International law is clear that bodies must be treated with respect and dignity and returned to families as soon as possible. Israel is never called to account for this.

Then there are the living dead. Gaza is still packed full of walking corpses: the emaciated bodies of the severely malnourished. Aid is getting in but nowhere near the quantities required to address Israel’s imposed famine. Getting aid to the north of the Gaza Strip, where it is most needed, is almost impossible, as Israel has refused to open the crossings in the north for this purpose.

Virtually no American or European leader has condemned Israel’s closure of the Rafah crossing and its restrictions on aid getting in, which are being deployed as punishment for Hamas’ failures to locate the corpses. The starvation of Palestinians as a weapon continues to be permissible.

All of this reinforces the embedded anti-Palestinian racism in much of the international political and media arenas. The stories are centered on the fate of the Israeli hostages. Their families matter. Peace exists if Israelis have their victims returned and there are no attacks on them, but it does not include an end to the killing or suffering of Palestinians.

• Chris Doyle is director of the Council for Arab-British Understanding in London. X: @Doylech