Like Aviv, Israel (AP) – Israel has recovered the bodies of two Israeli -American hostages caught in Hamas’ October 7, 2023, attack This sparked the war in the Gaza Strip. Israeli strikes the night and Thursday, while waiting, killed at least 13 people, including three local journalists, according to heads of health of the territory.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the remains of Judih Weinstein and Gad Haggai had been recovered and returned to Israel in a special operation by the army and the BET internal security agency.
“With all the citizens of Israel, my wife and I extend our sincere condolences to dear families. Our hearts hurt for the most terrible loss. May their memory be blessed,” he said in a statement.
Kibbutz Nir Oz announced the death of Weinstein, 70, and Haggai, 72, who both had Israeli and American citizenship in December 2023. Weinstein was also a Canadian citizen.
The soldiers said they had been killed in the October 7 attack and led to Gaza by the Mujahideen brigades, the small armed group who, according to him, had also removed and killed Shiri Bibas and her two grandchildren. The army said that it had recovered the remains of Weinstein and Haggai during the night Thursday in the city of southern Gaza of Khan Younis.
A teacher who helped children and a chef who played jazz
The couple was take a walk early in the morning near their home Kibbutz nir oz On the morning of October 7, when Hamas activists stormed the border and were unleashed through several army bases and agricultural communities.
In the early hours of the morning, Weinstein was able to call emergency services and let them know that she and her husband had been slaughtered and send a message to her family.
Weinstein was born in New York and taught English to children with special needs in Kibbutz Nir Oz, a small community near the Gaza border. The Kibbutz said that it also taught meditation techniques to children and adolescents who suffered from anxiety following the Gaza Roquettes fire. Haggai was a retired chief and a jazz musician.
“My parents -in -law was released. We have a certainty, “wrote their daughter, Iris Haggai Liniado, in an article on Facebook. She thanked the Israeli army, the FBI and the Israeli and American governments and called for the release of all the remaining hostages.
The couple survived by two sons and two daughters and seven grandchildren, said Kibbutz.
Journalists among 13 killed in Israeli strikes
At least 10 Palestinians were killed in Israeli strikes in Khan Younis during the night, according to Nasser Hospital, which received the bodies. It was not immediately clear if the strikes were linked to the recovery mission.
In Gaza City, three local journalists were killed and six people were injured during a strike on the Al-Ahli hospital court, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health. He did not immediately identify journalists or said for what points of sale for which they worked.
The Israeli army said it was considering reports on the Al-Ahli strike. The army says that it only targets militants and blames civilian deaths in Hamas because it is anchored in populated areas.
More than 180 media journalists and workers have been killed since the start of the War of Israel-Hamas, the vast majority of them in Gaza, according to the New York-based committee to protect journalists. Israel said a lot of people killed in his strikes Activists presented themselves as journalists.
Activists led by Hamas killed some 1,200 people, mainly civilians, during the October 7 attack and removed 251 hostages. They still have 56 hostages, about a third of them that are alive after most of the others have been released in cease-fire agreements or other agreements. Israeli forces have saved eight living hostages from Gaza and recovered dozens of bodies.
The military campaign of Israel killed more than 54,000 Palestinians, mainly women and children, according to the Ministry of Health of Gaza, which does not say how many deaths were civilians or combatants. The offensive has destroyed large parts of Gaza and moved around 90% of its population of approximately 2 million Palestinians.
The ceasefire speaks in the dead end
The United States, Egypt and Qatar have tried to negotiate another ceasefire and a release of hostages after Israel ended a previous truce in March and imposed a blockade It raised fears of famineDespite having been relaxed in recent weeks. But the talks seem to be deadlocked.
Hamas says that it will only publish the hostages remaining in exchange for more Palestinian prisoners, a lasting ceasefire and an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. He offered to give power to a politically independent Palestinian committee.
Netanyahu rejected these conditions, claiming that Israel will only accept temporary ceases to facilitate the return of hostages. He promised to continue the war until all the hostages returned and Hamas is defeated or disarmed and sent in exile.
He said that Israel will maintain control of Gaza indefinitely and facilitate what he calls voluntary emigration from a large part of its population to other countries. Palestinians and a large part of the international community have rejected such plans, considering them as forced expulsion that could violate international law.
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Melzer reported Nahariya, Israel and Shurafa de Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip. The writer Associated Press Kareem Chehayeb in Beirut contributed.
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