A preliminary investigation by the Israeli military into the deaths of six Israeli hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip indicates that they were murdered shortly after they were located by the Israeli military, Channel 12 News reports. Last night, the Israeli military recovered the bodies of the six hostages from a tunnel in the Rafah area. It is unable to say exactly when the hostages were murdered by their captors, but estimates it to have been between one and three days. The National Center for Forensic Medicine will determine the time of death after examining the bodies.
The six people were abducted on October 7 from Kibbutz Be’eri, while the others were abducted the same day from the Nova music festival near Kibbutz Re’em.
The tunnel from which the bodies were recovered was about a kilometer from the one from which Israeli hostage Qaid Farhan al-Qadi was freed by the Israeli army and the Shin Bet (Israeli security service) last Tuesday. The Israeli army said at the time that it believed other hostages were being held in the area.
The hostages’ families committee said in a statement: « After eleven months of abandonment of the hostages by the Israeli government and its leader, the hostages’ families committee announces that the abandonment is over. The hostages’ families call on the general public to come out in massive protests, to bring the country to a complete standstill and to demand the implementation of an agreement for the release of the hostages now. »
Histadrut Chairman Arnon Ben-David is under pressure from the hostages’ families and senior business officials to call a general strike in support of a release deal. A further meeting between Ben-David and the hostages’ families is scheduled for later today.
On Thursday night, the Israeli cabinet voted in favor of a resolution proposed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that would see IDF forces remain on the Gaza side of the Philadelphia Corridor, the demarcation line between the Gaza Strip and Egypt, through which Hamas has been smuggling weapons and supplies for years through a network of tunnels. Hamas has insisted on an Israeli withdrawal from the corridor in any deal. The resolution was rejected by Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir abstained.
Gallant said this morning: « The diplomatic and security cabinet must meet immediately and rescind the resolution passed Thursday. It is too late for the hostages who were murdered in cold blood. We must repatriate the remaining hostages. »
Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said: « There are ways to balance the security needs of the State of Israel with its moral obligation to return the hostages. Chaotic and conflictual conduct of affairs and political considerations have invaded our Holy of Holies. Anyone who shirks his responsibilities is not a leader. »
US President Joe Biden said he was « devastated and outraged » by the death of Hersh Goldberg-Polin. « This is as tragic as it is reprehensible. Make no mistake, Hamas leaders will pay for these crimes. And we will continue to work around the clock to reach an agreement to secure the release of the remaining hostages, » Biden said.
Published by Globes, Israeli business news – fr.globes.co.il – September 1, 2024.
© Copyright of Globes Publisher Itonut (1983) Ltd., 2024.
