Israel Recovers Bodies of Hostages Amid Ongoing Gaza Conflict

Israel has retrieved the bodies of six hostages from Khan Younis in Gaza. Families have been informed. The Hostages Families Forum urges the Israeli government to finalize a hostage release deal with Hamas. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is working on securing a ceasefire and the return of hostages.

Israel has successfully retrieved the bodies of six hostages overnight from the Khan Younis region in southern Gaza, military and prime minister's office sources confirmed on Tuesday. Families of Yagev Buchshtab, Alexander Dancyg, Avraham Munder, Yoram Metzger, Nadav Popplewell, and Chaim Perry have been informed, according to official statements.

The Hostages Families Forum, representing most hostage families, welcomed this development but called on the Israeli government to expedite a hostage release deal with Gaza-based militant group Hamas. 'The immediate return of the remaining 109 hostages can only be achieved through a negotiated deal. The Israeli government, along with mediators, must finalise the current deal on the table,' the forum stressed.

Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is in the Middle East this week, striving to secure a ceasefire and a hostage return agreement between Israel and Hamas. The Gaza war started on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas militants stormed Israeli communities, killing about 1,200 people and abducting approximately 250 hostages. Israeli military action has since devastated large parts of Gaza, displaced nearly 2.3 million people, leading to fatalities and health crises, according to Palestinian health authorities.

(With inputs from agencies.)