Relatives and supporters of Israeli hostages held in Gaza since the October 7 attacks by Hamas militants hold placards and wave Israeli flags during a demonstration in Tel Aviv, on April 6, 2024. Israel announced on Saturday that its special forces had successfully recovered the body of a hostage who was killed while being held captive in Gaza. The hostage, Elad Katzir, a 47-year-old Israeli farmer, was killed by his Palestinian Islamic Jihad captors and buried in southern Khan Younis. Katzir was among 253 people taken into Gaza by Hamas-led gunmen during the October 7 cross-border rampage. His father was killed in their kibbutz, Nir Oz, and his mother was also taken hostage but was freed in November under a truce.
Qatari and Egyptian mediators have been working to secure a deal that might result in the return of some of the 129 remaining hostages in a longer ceasefire in Gaza. Hamas has announced that it will take part in a new round of ceasefire talks in Cairo, while Israel is undecided on whether to attend. Israel has faced protests at home demanding a deal to free the dwindling number of live hostages from Hamas.
The Gaza Health Ministry recently reported one of the lowest daily death tolls in six months, stating that 46 Palestinians had been killed in Israeli strikes over the past 24 hours. The ministry does not differentiate between combatants and non-combatants in its reports, but local health officials say most of the fatalities have been civilians. Israel, on the other hand, says at least a third of those killed were fighters.
The World Health Organization said its team had managed to reach Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, where Israeli special forces had conducted a two-week raid against suspected militants, leaving a wasteland of destroyed buildings. The hospital was one of the few healthcare facilities partially operational in the north of the enclave before the raid.
Amidst these developments, Hamas has expressed the desire for any deal to bring about an end to the war and the withdrawal of Israeli forces. On the other hand, Israel has stated that, after any truce, it would topple Hamas, which is sworn to its destruction. A rally in Jerusalem calling for a hostage release is set to take place on Sunday, marking six months since the October 7 attack. Anti-government protesters in Tel Aviv on Saturday called for an election.
In a Jan. 8 video posted by Islamic Jihad online, Katzir said: “I was close to dying more than once. It’s a miracle I’m still alive … I want to tell my family that I love them very much and I miss them very much.” Based on various sources of information, Israel has declared at least 35 hostages as dead in Gaza captivity. Palestinian factions have said some were killed in Israeli strikes. While confirming this in several cases, Israel says that, in others, hostages whose bodies were recovered bore signs of execution.
