Remains of two Gaza hostages recovered, says Israel
Israeli forces
have recovered the remains of two Israeli hostages held in the
Gaza Strip
since the October 7th, 2023, Hamas-led attack that ignited
the war
.
'The bodies of two of our hostages were returned to Israel,' prime minister
Binyamin Netanyahu
said in a statement, adding that only one of their names, Yair Yaakov, had been cleared for publication.
Mr Netanyahu said Mr Yaakov had been 'murdered and abducted' by the militant group Islamic Jihad in the 2023 attack. 'Together with all citizens of Israel, my wife and I extend our heartfelt condolences to the families who lost their dearest loved ones,' he added.
The Israeli military said in a statement Wednesday about the other hostage: 'His family has been notified and his name will be cleared for release later.'
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Mr Yaakov had been a member of Kibbutz Nir Oz, a farming community near the border with Gaza. He was 59 when he was killed, according to a statement from the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, which represents the relatives of some captives.
He was taken from his home along with his children, Or and Yagil, and his partner, Meirav, according to the forum, and his death was confirmed in February 2024. The other family members were released as part of a temporary ceasefire deal in November 2023.
'Yair was a devoted family man with a huge heart, always ready to help others,' the forum said in its statement on behalf of Yaakov's children.
On Saturday, Israeli security forces said they had recovered the body of a Thai citizen, Nattapong Pinta, who was in his 30s and a farmworker at Kibbutz Nir Oz when he was abducted to Gaza in the 2023 attack.
Last week, the Israeli authorities said they had recovered from Gaza the remains of two Israeli-American members of Kibbutz Nir Oz: Judi Weinstein Haggai (70), who was also a Canadian citizen; and her husband, Gadi Haggai (72).
Edan Alexander (21), an Israeli American who was serving in Israel's military when he was captured during the 2023 attacks, was thought to be the last living American hostage. He was released in a deal in May negotiated directly between Hamas and the United States, with minimal Israeli involvement.
The latest Israeli operation brings to 53 the number of living and dead captives believed to be held in Gaza. The Israeli government has said that about 20 hostages are believed to be alive.
The hostage announcement on Wednesday came as the Israeli military was conducting intense operations in Gaza, in what it said was an effort to remove Hamas from power. It also came as Israel was facing growing international pressure over its conduct of the war.
In March, Israel imposed a roughly 80-day blockade on humanitarian aid entering the enclave, as the initial phase of a two-month ceasefire with Hamas ended.
Both sides were supposed to be negotiating the next steps in the truce. Israeli officials argued that the restrictions aimed to pressure Hamas to compromise.
Aid organisations suspended their operations as food stockpiles dwindled, the price of food skyrocketed, and humanitarian groups warned of mass privation and hunger.
In late May, a widely criticised aid distribution system backed by Israel and run mostly by American contractors began operating in the enclave. Its efforts have been marred by chaos at aid sites and deadly violence nearby.
On Wednesday, health officials and emergency workers in Gaza said that several people had been killed and dozens of others injured in shootings near one of the organisation's sites in central Gaza.
According to the Hamas-controlled health ministry in Gaza, more than 55,000 Palestinians have been killed in the war since the October 7th, 2023, attacks.
Elsewhere, a motion by opposition parties to dissolve the Israeli parliament failed in the early hours of Thursday.
But the vote itself presented the most serious challenge yet to Mr Netanyahu's right-wing government, exposing splits in the ruling coalition and weakening his leadership credentials.
Fifty-three of the 120 parliament members voted for the dissolution Bill, including two members of the governing coalition, while a majority of 61 opposed it.
Despite the defeat, representatives of the opposition parties said that they had nevertheless managed to drive a wedge into the coalition's ranks.
The United Nations General Assembly will vote on Thursday on a draft resolution that demands an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire in the war in Gaza after the United States vetoed a similar effort in the UN Security Council last week.
The 193-member General Assembly is likely to adopt the text with overwhelming support, diplomats say, despite Israel lobbying countries this week against taking part in what it called a 'politically-motivated, counterproductive charade'.
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