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TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Israel has recovered the bodies of 2 Israeli-American hostages taken successful Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, onslaught that ignited the warfare successful the Gaza Strip. Israeli strikes overnight and into Thursday, meanwhile, killed astatine slightest 13 people, including 3 section journalists, according to wellness officials successful the territory.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the remains of Judih Weinstein and Gad Haggai were recovered and returned to Israel successful a peculiar cognition by the service and the Shin Bet interior information agency.
“Together with each the citizens of Israel, my woman and I widen our heartfelt condolences to the beloved families. Our hearts ache for the astir unspeakable loss. May their representation beryllium blessed,” helium said successful a statement.
Kibbutz Nir Oz announced the deaths of Weinstein, 70, and Haggai, 72, some of whom had Israeli and U.S. citizenship, successful December 2023.
The subject said they were killed successful the Oct. 7 onslaught and taken into Gaza by the Mujahideen Brigades, the tiny equipped radical that it said had besides abducted and killed Shiri Bibas and her 2 tiny children. The service said it recovered the remains of Weinstein and Haggai overnight into Thursday from the confederate Gaza metropolis of Khan Younis.
A teacher who helped children and a cook who played jazz
The mates were taking an aboriginal greeting locomotion adjacent their location successful Kibbutz Nir Oz connected the greeting of Oct. 7 erstwhile Hamas militants stormed crossed the borderline and rampaged done respective service bases and farming communities.
In the aboriginal hours of the morning, Weinstein was capable to telephone exigency services and fto them cognize that some she and her hubby had been shot, and nonstop a connection to her family.
Weinstein was calved successful New York and taught English to children with peculiar needs astatine Kibbutz Nir Oz, a tiny assemblage adjacent the Gaza border. The kibbutz said she besides taught meditation techniques to children and teenagers who suffered from anxiousness arsenic a effect of rocket occurrence from Gaza. Haggai was a retired cook and jazz musician.
“My beauteous parents person been freed. We person certainty,” their daughter, Iris Haggai Liniado, wrote successful a Facebook post. She thanked the Israeli military, the FBI and the Israeli and U.S. governments and called for the merchandise of each the remaining hostages.
The mates were survived by 2 sons and 2 daughters and 7 grandchildren, the kibbutz said.
Reporters among 13 killed successful Israeli strikes
At slightest 10 Palestinians were killed successful Israeli strikes successful Khan Younis overnight, according to Nasser Hospital, which received the bodies. It was not instantly wide if the strikes were related to the betterment mission.
In Gaza City, 3 section reporters were killed and six radical were wounded successful a onslaught connected the courtyard of the al-Ahli Hospital, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. It did not instantly place the journalists oregon accidental which outlets they worked for.
The Israeli subject said it was looking into reports connected the onslaught astatine al-Ahli. The service says it lone targets militants and blames civilian deaths connected Hamas due to the fact that it is embedded successful populated areas.
Over 180 journalists and media workers person been killed since the commencement of the Israel-Hamas war, the immense bulk of them successful Gaza, according to the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists. Israel has said galore of those killed successful its strikes were militants posing arsenic reporters.
Hamas-led militants killed immoderate 1,200 people, mostly civilians, successful the Oct. 7 onslaught and abducted 251 hostages. They are inactive holding 56 hostages, astir a 3rd of them believed to beryllium alive, aft astir of the remainder were released successful ceasefire agreements oregon different deals. Israeli forces person rescued 8 surviving hostages from Gaza and recovered dozens of bodies.
Israel’s subject run has killed much than 54,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not accidental however galore of the dormant were civilians oregon combatants. The violative has destroyed ample parts of Gaza and displaced astir 90% of its colonisation of astir 2 cardinal Palestinians.
Ceasefire talks deadlocked
The United States, Egypt and Qatar person been trying to broker different ceasefire and hostage merchandise aft Israel ended an earlier truce successful March and imposed a blockade that has raised fears of famine, contempt being eased successful caller weeks. But the talks look to beryllium deadlocked.
Hamas says it volition lone merchandise the remaining hostages successful instrumentality for much Palestinian prisoners, a lasting ceasefire and an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. It has offered to manus implicit powerfulness to a politically autarkic Palestinian committee.
Netanyahu has rejected those terms, saying Israel volition lone hold to impermanent ceasefires to facilitate the instrumentality of hostages. He has vowed to proceed the warfare until each the hostages are returned and Hamas is defeated oregon disarmed and sent into exile.
He has said Israel volition support power implicit Gaza indefinitely and volition facilitate what helium refers to arsenic the voluntary emigration of overmuch of its colonisation to different countries. The Palestinians and overmuch of the planetary assemblage person rejected specified plans, viewing them arsenic forcible expulsion that could interruption planetary law.
Melzer reported from Nahariya, Israel and Shurafa from Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip. Associated Press writer Kareem Chehayeb successful Beirut contributed.
