Israeli Military Says Bodies of 6 Hostages Recovered From Southern Gaza

Israel recovered the bodies of six hostages, who were abducted during the Oct. 7 attacks by Hamas terrorists, from a tunnel in the Khan Younis area of southern Gaza, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on Tuesday.
They were identified as Yagev Buchshtab, Alexander Dancyg, Avraham Munder, Yoram Metzger, Haim Perry, and Nadav Popplewell.
The IDF did not say when or how the hostages died.
Munder, who was 78, was kidnapped from a kibbutz with his wife, daughter, and grandson during the Oct. 7 attacks. The two women and his grandson were released during the Nov. 2023 ceasefire.
The Hostages Families Forum, which represents most of the hostage families, renewed its call on the Israeli government to make a deal with Hamas over the remaining hostages.
In a statement, the forum said, “The immediate return of the remaining 109 hostages can only be achieved through a negotiated deal. The Israeli government, with the assistance of mediators, must do everything in its power to finalise the deal currently on the table.”
On Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terrorists crossed the border into Israel, killing approximately 1,200 Israelis and taking 251 people hostage, 109 of whom are still being held captive in the Gaza Strip.
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.
He said, “That is an eternity for the hostages. Anything could happen to them during that eternity.”
In response to the Oct. 7 attacks, Israel has mounted repeated air attacks and a ground invasion of the Gaza Strip, which has displaced most of the 2.3 million Palestinians living there.
The Hamas-controlled health ministry in Gaza says at least 40,000 people have been killed during the conflict.
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.
A weekly protest in central Tel Aviv by supporters of the hostages has gradually reduced in size.