The Israeli army mentioned on Saturday it had recovered the physique of a person who was taken hostage from one of many communities worst hit in the course of the October 7 assault led by Hamas, practically six months to the day after his kidnapping
The person, Elad Katzir, 47, was killed in mid-January whereas detained in Gaza, an Israeli army official mentioned at a press briefing on Saturday. The circumstances of his dying couldn’t be confirmed.
He had lived in Nir Oz, a kibbutz close to the border with the Gaza Strip. Greater than 1 / 4 of its greater than 400 residents had been killed or kidnapped within the assault – together with Mr. Katzir's father, Avraham, who was killed, and mom, Hanna, was additionally taken hostage, in response to the israeli military.
Hanna Katzir was launched in November as a part of a short ceasefire settlement between Israel and Hamas wherein greater than 100 hostages had been returned. The return of Ms. Katzir, 76, shocked a few of her relations, as a result of Palestinian Islamic Jihad, an Iranian-backed militant group, had beforehand mentioned she had died.
The households of the remaining 133 hostages held in Gaza have expressed rising anger and despair, saying the Israeli authorities just isn’t doing sufficient to achieve an settlement for his or her launch. On Saturday, Mr. Katzir's sister, Carmit, denounced the Israeli authorities for not reaching an settlement in time to safe her brother's launch.
“He may have been saved if there had been an settlement in time,” he wrote of his brother on Fb. “However our leaders are cowards, motivated by political issues, and so it didn't occur.”
About 100 hostages are nonetheless being held by Palestinian militants within the enclave, in response to Israeli authorities; greater than 30 others at the moment are presumed useless.
The Israeli military mentioned Mr. Katzir's physique had been recovered by troops in Khan Younis, a city within the southern a part of Gaza the place the Israeli military has been working since December. Round 8:00 p.m. on Friday evening, Israeli forces arrived south of Khan Younis, cordoned off the realm and dug up his physique from the place it was buried underground, the army official mentioned.
Forensic pathologists in Israel have confirmed his identification, and officers have knowledgeable his household, the military mentioned. The Israeli military's declare that he had been killed by his captors, Islamic Jihad, couldn’t be verified.
Islamic Jihad had printed no less than two movies of Mr. Katzir, a farmer who was born in Nir Oz. He was final seen in a video launched in early January, wherein he mentioned he had been held for greater than 90 days and described listening to on the radio the dying of a detailed pal by Nir oz.
In current weeks, Israel and Hamas have resumed oblique negotiations over a doable ceasefire and the discharge of no less than some hostages. Hamas mentioned in an announcement on Telegram on Saturday {that a} delegation of its management would journey to Cairo on Sunday for additional negotiations.
On Friday, President Biden despatched messages to the leaders of Egypt and Qatar — who act as intermediaries between Hamas and Israel — urging them to extend strain on Hamas to strike a deal. He pressed Israel's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, to do the identical.
Israeli leaders have insisted that continued “army strain” on Hamas will drive the group to come back to the desk. The households of most of the hostages, fearing that their family members may very well be killed by their captors or by errant Israeli hearth, have referred to as for extra instant motion.
“Your story shouldn't have ended like this,” Carmit Katzir wrote of his brother on Fb on Saturday. “I'm sorry we couldn't prevent,” she wrote, including: “I like you endlessly.”
