Israeli army retrieves body of captive from Gaza: Report

JERUSALEM /ISTANBUL

The Israeli army had retrieved the body of a captive from the Gaza Strip, the Israeli public broadcaster KAN reported on Wednesday evening.

The body of abducted Israeli Yair Yaakov was recovered from Gaza and returned to Israel, said the broadcaster.

As of 1845GMT, the Israeli military had not officially confirmed the operation.

Israel estimates that 55 hostages remain in Gaza, including 20 believed to be alive. Meanwhile, more than 10,100 Palestinians are held in Israeli prisons under harsh conditions, with reports of torture, starvation, and medical neglect, according to Palestinian and Israeli rights groups.

Israel, rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, has pursued a genocidal offensive in Gaza since October 2023, killing over 55,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children. Aid agencies have warned about the risk of famine among the enclave's more than 2 million inhabitants.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his 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 war crimes against civilians in the enclave.