By JERUSALEM — The Israeli military announced Tuesday the recovery of six hostage bodies from Gaza, as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken sought to advance cease-fire negotiations.
The bodies, retrieved in an overnight operation in southern Gaza, belonged to individuals taken during Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack. The military did not disclose when or how the six died. Hamas claims some captives have been killed in Israeli airstrikes.
Israeli authorities identified the deceased as Chaim Perry, 80; Yoram Metzger, 80; Avraham Munder, 79; Alexander Dancyg, 76; Nadav Popplewell, 51; and Yagev Buchshtav, 35. Some had family members previously released during a November cease-fire.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised the recovery effort, stating, “The State of Israel will continue to make every effort to return all of our hostages — both alive and dead.”
The recovery complicates Hamas’ strategy of exchanging hostages for Palestinian prisoners and a lasting cease-fire. Approximately 110 hostages are believed to remain in captivity, with Israeli estimates suggesting a third may be deceased.
In Gaza, Israeli airstrikes continued. An attack on a school-turned-shelter in Gaza City killed at least 10 people. The Israeli military claimed it was a precise strike on a Hamas command center. Another strike in central Gaza killed a mother and her five children.
Blinken, on his ninth regional visit since the war’s outbreak, said Netanyahu has accepted a proposal to bridge gaps in cease-fire talks. The U.S. diplomat called on Hamas to do the same, though the militant group accused the U.S. of embracing Israeli demands.
The conflict, triggered by Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack that killed about 1,200 people in Israel, has resulted in over 40,000 Palestinian deaths, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. The ongoing offensive has caused widespread destruction and displacement in Gaza.
