Israeli troops have recovered the bodies of three hostages in the Gaza Strip, with the military saying Friday they were killed in the Oct. 7 Hamas attack and their bodies taken into Gaza. The military did not say where the bodies were found in Gaza. Israeli forces are currently invading the southern Gaza city of Rafah, saying it’s the last stronghold of Hamas and hostages are being held there.
Here’s the latest:
Quick Read
- Israeli Troops Recover Hostage Bodies: Israeli troops have recovered the bodies of three hostages in Gaza, who were killed during the October 7 Hamas attack. The discovery occurs as Israeli forces continue operations in Rafah, identified as a significant Hamas stronghold where additional hostages are believed to be held.
- First Aid Shipment Unloaded by Sea: Amidst ongoing heavy fighting and Israeli restrictions at land border crossings, the first aid shipment has been successfully unloaded in Gaza via a newly established U.S. floating pier. This aid delivery, however, is noted as insufficient compared to the needs, with the U.N. highlighting that about 1.1 million Palestinians are on the brink of starvation.
- International Court of Justice Proceedings: In response to charges of committing genocide, Israel defended its actions at the U.N.’s top court, arguing its military operations are efforts to protect civilians within Gaza. This comes as South Africa urges the court to order a cease-fire.
- Casualties and Ongoing Conflict: The conflict, now entering its seventh month, has resulted in over 35,000 deaths in Gaza, predominantly women and children, as per local health officials. Fighting has intensified particularly in northern Gaza where Hamas has regrouped.
- Global and Regional Reactions: The situation continues to draw international attention with varied responses, including ongoing discussions at the U.N., and increasing global humanitarian efforts to aid the trapped and affected Palestinian population in Gaza.
The Associated Press has the story:
Israel finds bodies of 3 hostages in Gaza, as first aid unloaded by sea
Israeli troops have recovered the bodies of three hostages in the Gaza Strip, with the military saying Friday they were killed in the Oct. 7 Hamas attack and their bodies taken into Gaza.
The military did not say where the bodies were found in Gaza. Israeli forces are currently invading the southern Gaza city of Rafah, saying it’s the last stronghold of Hamas and hostages are being held there.
Around 1,200 people died in the Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel, mostly civilians, and about 250 were taken hostage by Hamas. Around half of those hostages were freed during a cease-fire in November. Israel says militants still hold around 100 hostages and the remains of more than 30 others.
For the 2.3 million Palestinians trapped in Gaza, heavy fighting and Israeli restrictions on land border crossings have hindered the entry food and other crucial supplies.
The first aid delivered via a newly built U.S. floating pier on Gaza’s coast was unloaded Friday. However, the U.S. and aid groups warn that the sea corridor is not a substitute for land deliveries that could bring in all the food, water and fuel needed in Gaza. The U.N. says some 1.1 million Palestinians are on the brink of starvation.
At the U.N.’s top court, Israel strongly denied charges it’s committing genocide against the Palestinians, arguing Friday that it’s doing everything it can to protect the civilian population during its military operation in Gaza. South Africa has asked the International Court of Justice to order a cease-fire.
Seven months of Israel’s war in Gaza have killed more than 35,000 people, most of them women and children, according to local health officials. Battles are intensifying in northern Gaza, where Hamas has regrouped in areas Israel captured earlier in the conflict.
U.K. SAYS IT’S SENDING PLASTIC SHELTERS TO GAZA IN FIRST AID SHIPMENT BY SEA
NICOSIA, Cyprus — The U.K. says its first batch of aid to Gaza via a new U.S.-built pier was offloaded on Friday, consisting of temporary shelters made of plastic sheeting.
The U.K. government said in a statement the first of a planned 8,400 temporary shelters arrived in Gaza alongside aid from the U.S. and the United Arab Emirates.
More aid, including 2,000 additional temporary shelters, 900 tents, five forklift trucks and 9,200 hygiene kits will be dispatched in the coming weeks. Before being shipped to Gaza, the aid undergoes security screening at the port of Larnaca on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak repeated that although more aid will reach Gaza through the maritime corridor, more land routes need to be opened —including the crucial Rafah crossing — to help civilians in desperate need of help.
Heavy fighting and Israeli restrictions on land border crossings have hindered the entry food and other crucial supplies to Gaza.
HAMAS OFFICIAL KILLED IN LEBANON BY ISRAELI STRIKE
BEIRUT — An apparent Israeli drone strike on a car in eastern Lebanon killed an official with the militant Palestinian group Hamas.
Friday’s strike on the town of Majdal Anjar near the Syrian border killed Sharhabeel Ali al-Sayyed, Hamas said in a statement.
Since the Israel-Hamas war began on Oct. 7, Israeli airstrikes have killed several Hamas members in different parts of Lebanon. The most serious attack came on Jan. 2, when an airstrike believed to have been carried out by Israel struck an apartment building in Beirut killing top Hamas official Saleh Arouri.
The Lebanese militant group Hezbollah has regularly attacked Israel across the border over the past seven months.
The group has stepped up its attacks on Israel in recent weeks, particularly since the Israeli incursion into the southern city of Rafah in the Gaza Strip. Hezbollah has struck deeper inside Israel and introduced new and more advanced weaponry.
ISRAEL SAYS IT FOUND THE BODIES OF 3 HOSTAGES KILLED AT OCT. 7 MUSIC FESTIVAL, INCLUDING SHANI LOUK
JERUSALEM — The Israeli military says it found the bodies of three Israeli hostages in Gaza, including German-Israeli Shani Louk, who were killed by Hamas on Oct. 7 at an outdoor music festival near the border.
A photo of Shani’s twisted body in the back of a pickup truck ricocheted around the world, bringing to light the scale of the Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel.
The other two bodies were identified as a 28-year-old woman, Amit Buskila, and a 56-year-old man, Itzhak Gelerenter, according to military spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari. He did not give immediate details on where their bodies were found.
Israel has been operating in the Gaza Strip’s southern city of Rafah, where it says it has intelligence that hostages are being held.
Hamas-led militants killed around 1,200 people, mainly civilians, and abducted around 250 others in the Oct. 7 attack. Around half of those hostages have since been freed, most in swaps for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel during a weeklong cease-fire in November.
Israel says around 100 hostages are still captive in Gaza, along with the bodies of around 30 more. Israel’s war in Gaza since the attack has killed more than 35,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health officials.
Netanyahu has vowed to both eliminate Hamas and bring all the hostages back, but he’s made little progress. He faces pressure to resign, and the U.S. has threatened to scale back its support over the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
Israelis are divided into two main camps: those who want the government to put the war on hold and free the hostages, and others who think the hostages are an unfortunate price to pay for eradicating Hamas. On-and-off negotiations mediated by Qatar, the United States and Egypt have yielded little.
Currently:
— U.S. and international volunteer doctors trapped in Gaza hospital by Israeli assault.
— Israel insists it is doing all it can to protect civilians in Gaza and denies genocide charges.
— For the children of Gaza, war means no school — and no indication when formal learning might return.
— Hezbollah introduces new weapons and tactics against Israel, as the war in Gaza drags on.
— A Palestinian converted to Judaism. An Israeli soldier saw him as a threat and opened fire.
— FIFA to seek legal advice on a Palestinian proposal to suspend Israel from international soccer.
Follow AP’s coverage of the war in Gaza at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war
