IDF kills 40 in Gaza
Al Jazeera :
Israeli attacks in the past few hours have killed at least 40 Palestinians across the Gaza Strip.
Hamas says Palestinians will continue to confront the ground invasion of Rafah and other places in Gaza “no matter how long the aggression lasts and regardless of its form”.
More than 630,000 people have now fled Israel’s advance on southern Rafah with another 100,000 escaping from the ground assault on the north.
Jenin Brigades commander Islam Khamayseh killed and eight others wounded in an Israeli missile attack in the occupied West Bank’s Jenin refugee camp.
At least 35,386 people have been killed and 79,366 wounded in Israeli attacks on Gaza since October 7. The revised death toll in Israel from Hamas’s attack is 1,139 with dozens still held captive.
Meanwhile, the Israeli military announced Friday that it has recovered the bodies of three hostages from the Gaza Strip.
The hostages were identified as Shani Louk, Amit Bouskila, and Itshak Gelernter, IDF spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said in a press conference in Tel Aviv. All three were taken hostage on October 7 and were killed while escaping the Nova music festival and their bodies taken into Gaza, the IDF said.
“They were celebrating life in the Nova music festival and they were murdered by Hamas,” he said.
The bodies were identified by authorities and the families have been informed, Hagari said, adding that the bodies had been transferred to medical professionals for forensic examination.
Hagari did not disclose where the bodies were found during the press conference. He said the bodies were recovered during a joint IDF and Shin Bet operation.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed his grief in a post on X on Friday. “The heart breaks for the great loss. My wife Sara and I grieve with the families. All our hearts are with them in this hour of grieving,” he said.
“We will return all our hostages, the dead and the alive alike. I congratulate our brave forces who, with determined action, have returned our sons and daughters home,” he added.
Around 240 people were taken hostage and moved to Gaza during Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israel that also killed more than 1,200 people. A little more than 100 were freed during a release deal in November, but the IDF believes there are still 132 hostages being held in Gaza, 128 of whom were taken on October 7.
The IDF believed that of those 132 hostages, 40 are believed to be dead, including two who were taken in 2014.
A deal to secure the release of the remaining hostages has remained elusive for months, despite rounds of talks between Israeli and Hamas negotiating teams.
Last Friday, Hamas militants said Israel’s rejection of a ceasefire plan submitted by mediators at negotiations in Cairo had sent hostage release talks back to “square one.”