More Than 69,000 Killed Since Outbreak of Gaza War
The Palestinian militant group Hamas has returned the body of Lieutenant Hadar Goldin, an Israel Defense Forces officer who died 11 years ago.
On the 9th (local time), a Red Cross vehicle transporting the body identified by Hamas as Lieutenant Hadar Goldin of the Israel Defense Forces. Photo by Reuters Yonhap News
The Israel Defense Forces announced on the afternoon of the 9th (local time) that DNA analysis had confirmed the body handed over by Hamas to be that of Lieutenant Goldin. He had participated in a tunnel operation in Rafah, Gaza, as a member of the Givati Brigade on August 1, 2014, and was killed in action during a clash with Hamas. His remains have been returned after 11 years and two months. The Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, recovered Lieutenant Goldin's body in southern Rafah, Gaza, the previous day.
The conflict known as the "50-Day War" in 2011 began when the bodies of three Israeli boys were found in the West Bank. Israel accused Hamas of being behind the incident and launched a retaliatory military operation, including intensive airstrikes followed by a ground offensive. As a result, more than 70 people in Israel and over 2,000 people in Gaza were killed. After this, there were no ground battles in Gaza for nine years until Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.
On the 9th of last month, Hamas agreed to a ceasefire with Israel mediated by U.S. President Donald Trump, promising to return all remaining hostages, both living and deceased. All 20 surviving hostages were released, and in exchange, Israel freed approximately 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and prisoners of war.
Of the 28 deceased hostages (including Goldin), 24 bodies had been handed over as of this day, leaving only four remaining. Among these four are one Thai agricultural worker. Of the 24 deceased hostages returned so far, there has been one Thai, one Nepali, and one Tanzanian. Under the agreement, for each repatriated national hostage body, Israel returns the bodies of 15 Palestinians it had been holding. To date, Israel has returned 300 bodies, but according to the Associated Press, only 89 have been identified.
Meanwhile, the Gaza Health Ministry announced the previous day that the number of Palestinians killed by Israeli attacks on Gaza since the outbreak of war on October 7, 2023, has reached 69,169. The death toll has risen as more bodies have been recovered from the rubble of destroyed buildings and additional identities have been confirmed since the ceasefire took effect on the 10th. The ministry explained that this figure also includes those killed in sporadic Israeli attacks during the ceasefire. The Gaza Health Ministry does not distinguish between civilians and combatants in its casualty counts, but has stated that about half of the dead are women and children.
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