Israel recovered the bodies of hostages in Gaza
Israeli air strikes killed at least 10 people in a Gaza City school-turned-shelter in response to the September 7 Hamas attack
LONSDORF: So these hostages were six men ranging in age from as young as 35 to four in their 70s and 80s. And they were from two different communities that were devastated in the October 7 Hamas attack, Kibbutz Nir Oz and Kibbutz Nirim. Many of them had a family who was killed in that attack. And like you said just now, all of them were taken alive on October 7. Several of them even had proof of life videos released as recently as March. We have known for a while that at least five of them were dead. Most of the hostages are estimated to be dead, according to Israeli government and U.S. officials.
An Israeli airstrike on Tuesday killed at least 10 people at a school-turned-shelter in Gaza City, in what the military said was a precise strike on a Hamas command center. Another strike killed a mother and her five children in central Gaza.
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The military said it had identified the remains of Chaim Perry, 80; Yoram Metzger, 80; Avraham Munder, 79; Alexander Dancyg, 76; Nadav Popplewell, 51; and Yagev Buchshtav, 35. Metzger, Munder, Popplewell and Buchshtav had family members who were also abducted but freed during a November cease-fire.
Munder’s death was confirmed on Tuesday by Kibbutz Nir Oz, the farming community where he was among around 80 residents who were taken captive. It said he died “after enduring months of physical and mental torture.” The other five were ruled to be dead by Israeli authorities.
The Defense Minister of Israel said that the operation had taken place inside the vast tunnel network of Hamas. There were no immediate reports of any casualties among Israelis or Palestinians in the recovery operation.
Netanyahu accepted a proposal to bridge the gaps in the cease-fire talks that have dragged on for months, and he should do the same with Hamas, according to Tony Blinken, the deputy secretary of state.
Hamas accuses the US of trying to impose it’s will on the militant group. Hamas has rejected Israel’s demand for lasting control over the two corridors in Gaza, which is still unclear.
Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed over 40,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not say how many were militants. Air and ground operations have caused widespread destruction and forced the vast majority of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents to flee their homes, often multiple times. There is fear among aid groups about the outbreak of diseases.
The Israeli military said that they hit the Hamas militant group who were planning and launching attacks inside the school.
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The proposal being considered by the mediators is for Hamas to free hostages in return for the release of more Palestinian prisoners, an Israeli withdrawal from the territory and a lasting truce.
Blinken traveled to Egypt on Tuesday and was also expected to hold talks in Qatar. The two Arab countries played a big part in the negotiation with Hamas.
LONSDORF: Yeah, this news is almost sure to add to the increasing pressure on Netanyahu. People are angry. They want to end the war by signing a deal to get the rest of the hostages home. The war began about a year ago, and protests have been held weekly in Tel Aviv. And this week’s protest was massive – thousands of people in the streets. The hope is that this will be different, and the cease-fire will come through, but there is still a belief that this may be the last chance to get these hostages out.
LONSDORF: He met with leaders in both places. Two other countries have brokered the agreement, one of which is Egypt. All of this diplomacy has made the situation even more urgent because of the fact that Iran and its allies were threatening to retaliate for the assassination in Iran of an Israeli. If a cease-fire in Gaza is possible, Iran will hold its fire. And of course, meanwhile, the war is still very much going on in Gaza. More than 150 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli airstrikes since this new round of talks began last week. There have been more than 40,000 deaths in Gaza according to health officials. So there is real pressure from a lot of angles now to get something to work.
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An Israeli Airstrike killed at least 10 people in a school-turned-shelter in Gaza City, Israel’s military said on Tuesday. The military added that the strike targeted a Hamas command centre. The operation had taken place inside the vast tunnel network of Hamas, Israel’s Defence Minister said. Over 40,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel-Hamas conflict that began on September 7.