Bullet wounds were found on the bodies of six hostages recovered by the Israeli military earlier this week. The grim finding confirms the fears that most of them had been murdered by Hamas terrorists during their 10-month-long captivity in Gaza.
“The Israeli army confirmed on Thursday that signs of gunfire were found on the bodies of the six hostages who were recovered on Tuesday from Khan Yunis in the Gaza Strip,” the Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on Monday night extracted the bodies of six hostages from the southern Gaza town of Khan Yunis. The recovery operation in Hamas-infested territory was conducted after the terrorist group repeatedly rejected President Joe Biden’s latest ceasefire proposal, demanding more security concessions from Israel.
The bodies of hostages brought back to Israel were identified as those of Yagev Buchshtav, 35, Alex Dancyg, 75, Chaim Peri, 79, Yoram Metzger, 80, Nadav Popplewell, 51, and Avraham Munder, 78.
The Jerusalem Post reported:
Signs of bullets and gunshot wounds were found on the bodies of hostages recovered from the Gaza Strip earlier this week, the IDF confirmed on Thursday.Preliminary findings were received from Israel’s National Institute of Forensic Medicine, which performed autopsies and examined the bodies of the six hostages, the military stated.According to the IDF report, marks indicating bullets and wounds were found on the bodies of the six hostages. Additionally, four bodies found next to the hostages in the Gaza Strip were assumed to be terrorists, and when examined, no signs of gunshots were observed. (…)The Hostages and Missing Families Forum commented on the development, stating, “The presence of bullets in the bodies of the late hostages … is further proof of the cruelty of the terrorists who held the 109 hostages for already 321 days.”
The recovery of the bodies lowers the number of hostages still believed to be in Hamas captivity to 105.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is resisting the pressure from President Joe Biden to give up on key security demands in a bid to reach a ceasefire with the terror group Hamas in Gaza.
President Joe Biden called Prime Minister Netanyahu on Wednesday to press him on the ceasefire deal. Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris was also on the line with Biden. “Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential candidate, also joined the call, according to the White House,” The Times of Israel noted.
The main sticking points in the negotiations include Israel’s control over the strategic Philadelphi Corridor along the Gaza-Egypt border and continued IDF presence in the enclave to check the movement of Hamas terror fighters. The 9-mile-long Philadelphi Corridor is a major route for smuggling weapons and moving terrorists in and out of the Hamas-held Gaya.
Reuters reported Wednesday:
U.S. President Joe Biden, in a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday, stressed the urgent need to conclude a Gaza ceasefire-for-hostages deal and pointed to upcoming Cairo talks as crucial, the White House said. (…)”The president stressed the urgency of bringing the ceasefire and hostage release deal to closure and discussed upcoming talks in Cairo to remove any remaining obstacles,” a White House statement about the call said.
The Israeli prime minister did not confirm the White House’s version of the call. “Netanyahu’s office would not comment on the conversation,” the Israel news website added.
According to Israeli media reports, Netanyahu is committed to maintaining Israel’s control over the Philadelphia Corridor despite Biden’s relentless pressure.
The Israeli TV channel i24NEWS reported:
A political source told i24NEWS on Thursday that “Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has not changed his position on the need for Israeli control and presence in the Philadelphia Corridor.”This comes after a report in the Washington Post that Netanyahu made concessions on retaining Israeli control over the southern Gaza Strip.The source said that there will be a partial withdrawal of IDF forces and a re-deployment of the forces along Philadelphi Corridor, remaining in strategic positions and using electronic means above and below ground.
With Hezbollah escalating rocket and drone attacks on Israel, the IDF on Wednesday night carried out ‘extensive’ strikes on terrorist targets across southern Lebanon, Israeli news reports confirm.
“Overnight, the IAF struck Hezbollah terror targets in more than 10 different areas in southern Lebanon,” the IDF disclosed Thursday. “The targets included weapons storage facilities, military structures, and a launcher used by the Hezbollah terrorist organization to carry out terror attacks against the State of Israel.”
“Attacks carried out by fighter jets targeted weapon depots, buildings used by Hezbollah and a rocket launcher,” The Times of Israel reported citing military sources.
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