Israel has recovered the bodies of six hostages who were captured by Hamas during the 7 October attack that ignited the Gaza war.
The Israeli military said early on Sunday that the corpses were found in a tunnel beneath the southern Gaza city of Rafah, where they were apparently killed not long before the troops reached them.
The bodies of Carmel Gat, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Eden Yerushalmi, Alexander Lobanov, Almog Sarusi and Ori Danino have been returned to Israel, military spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari told reporters in a briefing.
The discovery sparked calls for mass protests by families of the hostages who said their loved ones could have been returned alive in a ceasefire deal, while 101 Israeli and foreign captives are still in Gaza, with around two-thirds of these possibly alive.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, under pressure after nearly 11 months of war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza to reach a deal that includes a ceasefire and the release of remaining hostages, said his country would not rest until it caught those responsible.
Senior Hamas officials said that Israel, in its refusal to sign a ceasefire agreement, was to blame for the deaths.
12:04 , Tara Cobham
Sunday’s news that more hostage bodies had been recovered was likely to spur further protests by Israelis demanding a hostage release deal.
The discovery sparked calls for mass protests by families of the hostages who said their loved ones could have been returned alive in a ceasefire deal, while 101 Israeli and foreign captives are still in Gaza, with around two-thirds of these possibly alive.
The Hostage Families Forum called on Netanyahu to take responsibility and explain what was holding up an agreement.
“They were all murdered in the last few days, after surviving almost 11 months of abuse, torture, and starvation in Hamas captivity. The delay in signing the deal has led to their deaths and those of many other hostages,” it said.
11:59 , Tara Cobham
Israel recovered the bodies of six hostages from a tunnel in southern Gaza where they were apparently killed not long before Israeli troops reached them, the military said on Sunday.
The Israeli military announced the recovery of the bodies from underground in the southern city of Rafah as a polio vaccination campaign began in the war-shattered territory and violence flared in the occupied West Bank.
The bodies of Carmel Gat, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Eden Yerushalmi, Alexander Lobanov, Almog Sarusi and Ori Danino have been returned to Israel, military spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari told reporters in a briefing.