Israel has handed over the bodies of 80 Palestinians killed in the Gaza conflict, the Palestinian health ministry said today after they were buried and authorities recorded details that will later help identify them.

Authorities in Gaza were trying to find out when and where these men were killed as well as their identity. Israeli officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Drone footage shows them retrieving the bodies of Palestinians buried in the Rafah mass grave.

The health ministry said the bodies were delivered from Israel through the Kerem Shalom border crossing. According to the Gaza Islamic Authority (Waqf), the bodies were collected from the northern part of the Gaza Strip.

It is rare for such a large number of bodies to be returned. The dead were buried yesterday in a ditch at the Rafa cemetery, in the southern part of the enclave.

“Photographs were taken for their later identification,” said a spokesman for the Gaza Islamic Authority.

Palestinian health authorities say around 21,000 people have been killed in Israeli strikes, with thousands more feared buried under the rubble.