JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Israeli commandos have recovered the physique of a hostage held in Khan Younis within the southern Gaza Strip, the navy stated on Saturday, three months after he pleaded for his launch in a video issued by his Palestinian Islamic Jihad captors.
Elad Katzir, a 47-year-old farmer from Kibbutz Nir Oz, was amongst 253 individuals dragged into Gaza throughout an Oct. 7 cross-border rampage by Hamas-led Palestinian gunmen that triggered Israel’s ongoing offensive within the enclave.
Katzir was killed by Islamic Jihad, the navy assertion stated, citing intelligence data which it didn’t element.
There was no rapid touch upon the Telegram channel utilized by Islamic Jihad through the conflict.
Katzir’s father, Avraham, was amongst some 1,200 individuals killed in Israel on Oct. 7, in keeping with official tallies, whereas his mom Hanna was additionally taken hostage however freed in November underneath a ceasefire with Hamas, Gaza’s dominant Islamist motion.
Qatari and Egyptian mediators have been making an attempt, to this point fruitlessly, to safe one other truce which may return among the 129 remaining hostages. Hamas needs any deal to finish the conflict, which Gaza well being officers say has killed greater than 33,000 Palestinians. However Israel intends to battle on till Hamas falls.
In a Jan. 8 video posted by Islamic Jihad on-line, Katzir stated: “I used to be near dying greater than as soon as. It is a miracle I am nonetheless alive … I wish to inform my household that I really like them very a lot and I miss them very a lot.”
Based mostly on numerous sources of knowledge, Israel has declared no less than 35 hostages as lifeless in Gaza captivity. Palestinian factions have stated some have been killed in Israeli strikes. Whereas confirming this in a number of instances, Israel says that, in others, hostages whose our bodies have been recovered bore indicators of execution.