The Israel Defense Forces on Tuesday morning recovered the bodies of six hostages kidnapped on Oct. 7, from a tunnel in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip.
In an operation involving the IDF and Israel Security Agency, the bodies of Avraham Munder, Yoram Metzger, Nadav Popplewell, Yagev Buchshtav, Chaim Peri and Alex Dancyg were located more than 10 months after the Hamas massacre.
The rescue operation was carried out by the IDF alongside the Israel Security Agency.
The Hostage Families Forum said the recovery of the bodies had provided the families with “necessary closure.”
The statement went onto to say that the return of the remaining 109 hostages from Gaza “can only be achieved through a negotiated deal” and called on the Israeli government to “do everything in its power to finalize the deal currently on the table.”
Negotiations over a long-sought-after ceasefire and hostage release deal are ongoing, with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken currently in the Middle East pushing for an agreement.
On Monday, Mr Blinken said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had agreed to a US “bridging proposal” for a deal, after the pair met in Tel Aviv.
Israel launched a military campaign in Gaza in response to an unprecedented attack on southern Israel on 7 October by Hamas gunmen, during which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken hostage.
More than 40,000 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry.
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