Israel recovers bodies of two hostages in Gaza
Israel has recovered the bodies of two hostages taken by Hamas at the onset of the Gaza war in 2023.
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One of the bodies has been identified as Ilan Weiss, abducted from Kibbutz Be'eri when Hamas militants invaded on October 7.
The other body is yet to be identified.
"Together with all the citizens of Israel, my wife and I extend our heartfelt condolences to the dear families and share in their great sorrow," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.
Read more: Israeli military declares Gaza City 'a dangerous combat zone'
I thank our commanders and fighters for a successful operation, for their determination and courage.
"The campaign to return the kidnapped continues unabated, we will not rest or be silent until we return all of our kidnapped people home - both the living and the dead."
48 remain in Gaza, 20 are believed to be alive.
"We call on the Israeli government to enter negotiations and stay at the table until every last hostage comes home. Time is running out for the hostages. Time is running out for the people of Israel who carry this burden," the Israeli Hostages Families Forum said in a statement.
It comes as the Israeli military declared Gaza City 'a dangerous combat zone', forcing thousands of Palestinians to flee in search of safety.
The Israeli military made the announcement on Friday - a week after IDF forces began a ground offensive in the city.
Taking to X, the military said it was now preparing to conquer the Palestinian territory’s largest city, almost two years on from the start of the conflict.
“Starting today (Friday), at 10:00 (0700GMT), the local tactical pause in military activity will not apply to the area of Gaza City, which constitutes a dangerous combat zone,” the military said in a statement.
The pauses referred to in the post relate to areas labelled as aid distribution points.
At least 63,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israel's assault on Gaza, the vast majority women and children.
Human rights groups have warned its new offensive in Gaza City could displace a million people and lead to thousands more deaths.
A famine was declared in the region last week as food and aid runs out across Gaza.