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Israel Defense Forces announced Tuesday that it has recovered the bodies of six hostages who were abducted in the Hamas attack last October 7. The bodies of Yagev Buchshtab, Alexander Dancyg, Avraham Munder, Yoram Metzger, Haim Perry,and Nadav Popplewell were found in a tunnel in the Khan Younis area of southern Gaza.
The Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported that, in response to the recovery of the bodies, Israel’s national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said, “The living hostages and those who are not should only be returned through intense military pressure.”
The Hostages Families Forum, which represents most hostage families, renewed its call on the Israeli government to make a deal with Hamas over the remaining hostages.
“The immediate return of the remaining 109 hostages can only be achieved through a negotiated deal,” it said. “The Israeli government, with the assistance of mediators, must do everything in its power to finalize the deal currently on the table.”
On Tuesday, Hamas unilaterally pulled out of ceasefire negotiations being led by Gulf states, Egypt and the United States, without giving a reason.
Recent polling, however, reveals the majority of Israelis are against a ceasefire deal that does not end future threats from Hamas.
On Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terrorists crossed the border into Israel, killing approximately 1,200 Israelis and taking 251 people hostage, 109 of whom still are being held captive in the Gaza Strip. Just 20 to 30 of those are believed to be still alive. Hamas last week murdered another hostage and wounded two others.
About 100 hostages were freed by Hamas during a brief ceasefire in late November last year and several others have been rescued by the IDF. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is in the Middle East this week, seeking to secure a ceasefire and hostage return agreement between Israel and Hamas.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insists it is necessary to wipe out Hamas entirely as a military force. Last month, he spoke of the hostages during a joint session of Congress in Washington, saying, “The pain these families have endured is beyond words. I will not rest until all their loved ones are home.”
There have been pro-Palestinian marches in many cities around the world. In Chicago, where the Democratic Party is holding its convention, thousands of demonstrators protested against Israel on Monday.
–Dwight Widaman | Metro Voice
