The Israeli military said it had recovered the bodies of six hostages from Gaza.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) issued a statement saying that Yagev Buchshtab, Alexander Dancyg, Avraham Munder, and others were found in the Khan Younis area on Monday. The bodies of Yoram Metzger, Haim Perry and British-Israeli Nadav Popplewell.
Israel has declared five of them dead, but Abraham Mond is believed to still be alive.
The rescue operation was carried out by the Israel Defense Forces and the security agency Shin Bet.
The Hostage Family Forum said all six men were captured alive during the Hamas attack on southern Israel on October 7 and taken to Gaza.
It said in a statement that the recovery of the bodies provided “necessary closure” for the families, adding that the return of the remaining 109 hostages from Gaza “can only be achieved through negotiation.”
The organization called on the Israeli government to “make every effort to complete the deal currently on the table.”
Negotiations are underway on a long-awaited ceasefire and hostage release deal, with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken currently in the Middle East pushing for a deal.
On Monday, Blinken said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had agreed to a U.S. “transition proposal” for a deal after meeting in Tel Aviv.
In response to the recovery of the bodies, Israeli President Isaac Herzog said on Tuesday that “we offer our heartfelt condolences and warm embrace to the families of the victims.”
He added: “We cannot stop for a moment and do everything possible to try to rescue all the hostages.”
Hamas previously claimed Mr. Papplewell died from injuries sustained in an Israeli airstrike a few months ago.
The Israel Defense Forces said on Monday it had expanded operations in Khan Younis and on the outskirts of the central town of Deir al-Balah.
On Monday, an Israeli airstrike on an online distribution facility in western Khan Younis killed five people, according to local health officials.
A medical source also told AFP that three people had died in Abasan, east of the city.
On October 7, Hamas gunmen launched an unprecedented attack on southern Israel, killing about 1,200 people and taking 251 people hostage. Israel launched military operations in Gaza.
Since then, more than 40,173 people have been killed in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry.
