Israel says soldier held captive in Gaza dies

JERUSALEM

An Israeli soldier held captive in Gaza has died, the military said on Monday.

A military statement identified the soldier as Omer Maxim Neutra, who served as a tank platoon commander in the 7th Armored Brigade.

According to Israel’s Army Radio, the body of the soldier was still held by Hamas in the Palestinian enclave.

Israel estimates that there are 101 hostages being held in Gaza, while Hamas has reported that dozens of them have been killed in indiscriminate Israeli airstrikes.

Mediation efforts led by the US, Egypt, and Qatar to reach a Gaza cease-fire and prisoner swap agreement between Israel and Hamas have failed over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s refusal to halt the war.

Israel has launched a genocidal war on the Gaza Strip following a Hamas attack last October, killing more than 44,400 people, most of them women and children, and injuring over 105,000.

On Nov. 21, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its deadly war on Gaza.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar in Ankara