Six Israeli Hostages' Bodies Retrieved From Gaza: IDF (image@IDF)
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) recovered bodies of six hostages from the Gaza Strip. IOF said the bodies of Yagev Buchshtab, Alexander Dancyg, Avraham Munder, Yoram Metzger, Haim Perry and British-Israeli Nadav Popplewell were recovered from the Khan Younis.
From the six, five were already announced dead by Israel. Avraham Munder was thought to be still alive. Reportedly, the overnight recovery operation was carried out by the IDF alongside the Israeli security agency Shin Bet. All six were kidnapped by Hamas on October 7th last year.
Yagev Buchshtab, Alexander Dancyg, Avraham Munder, Yoram Metzger, Nadav Popplewell and Haim Perry’s bodies were rescued from the Khan Yunis area in Gaza. They were abducted by Hamas on Oct. 7.
The rescue operation was enabled by precise intelligence from the ISA, intelligence… pic.twitter.com/SNIOlxHH1G
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) August 20, 2024
In a statement issued, the Hostage Families Forum said that the recovery of the bodies gave the families with “necessary closure”. It also added that return of the remaining hostages from Gaza, “can only be achieved through a negotiated deal”.
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In June, IOF confirmed the death of three elderly Israeli men stating that the three men had died during an Israeli operation in Khan Younis. The occupation force also confirmed the deaths of two other Israeli men in July, and added that investigation is being carried out into the deaths.
Israeli media reports cited military sources as saying that there was “high probability” that at least one of the men was killed by Israeli fire itself.
The Hostage Families Forum called out on the Israeli government reach a deal to stop the war at all cost. It asked the government to “do everything in its power to finalize the deal currently on the table”.
The statement read, “The Israeli government, with the help of the mediators, must today approve the deal that is currently on the table – and allow rehabilitation for the living abductees, a dignified burial for all the victims and the murdered abductees and restore hope to the State of Israel”.
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Responding to the news of the captives’ bodies recovered in Gaza, IOF’s former military chief, Gadi Eisenkot, said that it underscores the urgent need for Israel to secure a deal and bring the remaining captives home.
“This is a reminder to the prime minister – in Gaza there are another 109 abductees, their time is running out. They are dying in captivity, and he [the prime minister] must act as soon as possible to return them. Otherwise, there will be no one to return”, Eisenkot told local newspaper Maariv
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, “The State of Israel will continue to make every effort to return all of our abductees – both alive and dead”.
