Israeli army announces recovery of bodies of 6 Israelis held in Gaza

JERUSALEM

The Israeli army announced on Tuesday that it has recovered the bodies of six Israelis who had been held in Gaza since Oct. 7.

According to Israeli public broadcaster KAN, the bodies of the six Israelis, including Abraham Munder, Nadav Popplewell, Yagev Buchstab, and Yoram Metzger, were retrieved from Gaza. The Times of Israel identified the fifth person as Chaim Peri from Kibbutz Nir Oz near Gaza.

KAN reported that the six Israelis were alive when they were taken to Gaza on October 7, but it did not specify where the bodies were found.

Prior to this announcement, Israeli authorities estimated that 115 Israelis were held in Gaza, with Hamas claiming that many were killed in Israeli airstrikes.

In recent months, the Israeli army has retrieved bodies of several Israelis from Gaza as part of its military operations. In early June, Israeli forces rescued four Israelis alive from the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, during an operation that resulted in the deaths of over 210 Palestinians due to heavy artillery and airstrikes.

Despite a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire, Israel's offensive on Gaza, which began after a Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, has continued. The conflict has resulted in over 40,130 Palestinian deaths, mostly women and children, and more than 92,740 injuries, according to local health authorities.

The ongoing blockade of Gaza has led to severe shortages of food, clean water, and medicine, leaving much of the region in ruins. Israel faces accusations of genocide at the International Court of Justice, which has ordered a halt to military operations in the southern city of Rafah, where over one million Palestinians had sought refuge before the area was invaded on May 6.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar in Ankara