Israel Recovers Bodies of Two Hostages From Gaza, Including One From Oct 7 Attack

Israel has announced that its military had successfully recovered the bodies of two hostages, including an Israeli man who was killed in the Oct. 7 attack that sparked the war.

According to AP reports, the bodies of Ilan Weiss of Kibbutz Be'eri and another unidentified hostage were returned to Israel, according to a statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office.

About 50 of the 251 hostages that Hamas-led militants took nearly 22 months ago are still in Gaza, including 20 that Israel believes are still alive.

This development comes three days after White House special envoy Steve Witkoff said that the White House is pushing for all hostages held in the Gaza Strip to be returned.

In an interview with Fox News, Witkoff claimed that negotiations with Hamas appear to be at an impasse. 

"We adamantly want, and I'm following the president's direction here when I say this, all of those hostages home this week," Witkoff told Fox News on Tuesday night. 

"There’s been a deal on the table for the last six or seven weeks that would have released 10 of the hostages out of the 20 who we think are alive," he said, noting that Hamas is "100 per cent" to blame for the hold-up.

"It was Hamas who slow played that process, and it is Hamas now who is saying we accept that deal," Witkoff added.

In Tel Aviv on Tuesday, protesters torched tires and blocked highways, demanding a ceasefire that would free the hostages abducted by Hamas on October 7, 2023, and are still being held in Gaza.

Protesters waved banners that read “Hostage Deal Now,” honouring Israel’s Hostages and Missing Families Forum for a “National Day of Struggle”. The relatives of hostages said they hope steady pressure can push Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his security cabinet to commit to ceasefire talks.

 According to CNN, tens of thousands of protesters gathered at Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square to support the families of the hostages and their struggle to secure the release of loved ones captured by Hamas on October 7, 2023. They demanded a ceasefire and the return of the hostages held in Gaza.

On the streets, relatives of hostages cried for their release, begging the government to take the ceasefire deal on the table. Meanwhile, at the Old City of Jerusalem, Netanyahu promised Israel was on “the path to victory” with a plan to widen the 22-month war in the battered enclave, as per reports.

Israel Halts Aid

According to AP reports, Israel declared Gaza's largest city a combat zone and halted humanitarian pauses in the area sheltering hundreds of thousands in Gaza.

Israel’s military had suspended mid-day pauses to fighting, which had allowed the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza City on Friday.

In Gaza City, Deir al-Balah, and Muwasi, where hundreds of thousands of displaced people are seeking refuge, the "tactical pauses" are in effect. Days after reporting attacks in strategic neighbourhoods and mobilising tens of thousands of reservists, Israel was poised to expand its offensive in the city when the pause was announced.

Israel's military did verify if they had informed locals or humanitarian organisations of the upcoming declaration.

Israel had previously referred to Gaza City as a Hamas stronghold, citing the militants' continued use of a network of tunnels during multiple significant operations.

AP reported that the suspension of the pause also comes one week after the world’s leading food security authority declared that Gaza City was being gripped by famine, following months of warnings.

This is a developing story.