The Israeli military has recovered the bodies of six Israeli hostages from tunnels in the southern Gaza Strip and transported them back to Israel, local media reported on the 20th (local time).
Photos of Israeli soldiers conducting operations in the Gaza Strip, Palestine, released by the Israeli Ministry of Defense [Image source=Yonhap News]
The Israeli 98th Division and the Israeli intelligence agency Shin Bet retrieved the bodies of Alex Dansig (75), Yagev Bushtav (35), Chaim Perry (79), Yoram Metzger (80), Nadav Popplewell (51), and Avraham Mender (79) during a nighttime operation the previous day.
The Israeli military plans to investigate the exact cause of death, considering the possibility that the hostages may have died from gunfire by Israeli forces.
Among them, unlike the other five who had already been confirmed dead, Mender's survival status was previously unknown. His wife, Ruth, daughter Keren, and grandson Ohad, who were kidnapped with him during Hamas's surprise attack on October 7 last year, were released during a temporary ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in November last year.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a statement expressing condolences to the deceased hostages. He said, "Israel will continue to strive for the return of both living and deceased hostages."
Israel reports that out of the 251 hostages kidnapped by Hamas last year, excluding those released or found dead during the temporary ceasefire, 105 are still being held in the Gaza Strip. However, it is estimated that 34 of them are already deceased.
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