Israel designated Gaza City as a combat zone and announced it had recovered the remains of two hostages on Friday. The declaration and announcement came as the Israel Defense Forces began offensive operations that have been internationally criticized.
Death toll rises
As fighting continues, the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry announced that the death toll in Gaza has risen to 63,025 people since Hamas attacked Israeli citizens in October 2023. The ministry also said five more people died of malnutrition-related complications. The total number of people to die from malnutrition-related causes currently sits at 322, including 121 children, since the war began.
As famine has gripped swaths of Gaza, the Israeli military has vowed to widen its military effort to dismantle the Hamas network and said Gaza City remains a stronghold for the organization.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to continue the war until Hamas is entirely dismantled.
‘Tactical pauses’
The renewed fighting has led to “tactical pauses” in aid for Gazans as the United Nations warns of widespread starvation unless food and medical supplies are allowed to flow freely into the Gaza Strip.
Israel suspended the pauses on Friday in Gaza City, but some aid groups told The Associated Press that they were not notified that the “tactical pauses” would be suspended.
The IDF said it plans to continue coordinating aid into Gaza City, but the officials who spoke with the AP did not disclose how they would achieve this as the offensive ramps up.
The U.N. said Thursday that the expanded military operations in Gaza City have led to the evacuation of at least 23,000 people.
Hostages remains recovered
Meanwhile, Israel’s military said it recovered the remains of two hostages, Ilan Weiss and another, whose identity they did not disclose.
“We will not rest or be silent until we return all of our hostages home — both the living and the dead,” Netanyahu said in a statement.
Of the 251 hostages kidnapped by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023, nearly 50 remain in Gaza, only 20 of which are believed to be alive.
Israel’s Hostages and Missing Families Forum has called for a ceasefire in order to facilitate the return of the remaining hostages.
“We call on the Israeli government to enter negotiations and stay at the table until every last hostage comes home. Time is running out for the hostages,” the group that has led large-scale protests said in a statement.
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Author: Cole Lauterbach
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