Israel Announces Return of Bodies of Five Hostages Killed by Hamas

Israel announced that on Wednesday, it had returned the bodies of five of its citizens who were killed during the terrorist attack by Hamas on October 7 and were taken to Gaza. The Israeli army and the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) stated in a joint statement on Thursday morning that the identities of these five Israeli citizens are Mia Goren, Kiril Bradski, Tomer Ahims, Oren Goldin, and Ravid Aryeh Katz. The statement noted that the operation to retrieve the bodies of these hostages in Khan Younis was based on precise information obtained from interrogations of captured terrorists by Shin Bet. The war between Israel and Hamas began after militants from this Palestinian militant group and its allies targeted southern Israel in a terrorist attack on October 7, killing 1,200 people and taking about 250 hostages. Approximately 110 hostages remain in the custody of Hamas in Gaza, and this group has not released any news or information regarding their status. Israel believes that about one-third of these hostages have died in captivity at the hands of Hamas. Both Israel and the United States classify Hamas as a terrorist organization. In the West Bank, three soldiers were injured in a terrorist attack on Thursday morning and were transferred to the hospital. The Israeli army reported that a vehicle fired at its soldiers near the Nabi Elias area and then fled the scene. The Israeli army has announced the dispatch of more forces to the area to identify the attackers. In the Gaza Strip, clashes between Israel and Hamas continue in Khan Younis, Rafah, and the center of this densely populated strip, with the Israeli army stating that 60 terrorist targets were attacked in the past 24 hours. The Israeli army announced on Thursday that it had killed a member of the terrorist group Hezbollah in a bombing in southern Lebanon. According to the statement, Hezbollah had attacked Israel from this area of Lebanon. Hezbollah, as the main proxy arm of the Iranian government, began cross-border attacks on Israel immediately after the October 7 terrorist attack in support of Hamas, and in response, Israel has targeted this group's positions in Lebanon and Syria with heavy attacks. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in his speech on Wednesday to the U.S. Congress, referred to the displacement of 80,000 citizens from northern areas of the country near Lebanon and stated that if a diplomatic means for their return to their homes is not created, Israel will do whatever is necessary to defend its citizens. In recent days, AFP reported that at least 515 people have been killed in Lebanon due to the clashes between Israel and Hezbollah, with over 400 of them being members of Hezbollah. In contrast, Israeli officials reported the deaths of 18 soldiers and 13 civilians due to rocket fire and drone attacks from Hezbollah. The new wave of Israeli attacks in Gaza coincides with Netanyahu's trip to the U.S. Negotiations in Beijing; Hamas and Fatah agreed to end their disputes. Israel's request for the evacuation of parts of southern Gaza; the army states that Hamas has taken shelter in the 'humanitarian' area. The deaths of two more hostages in Hamas captivity; clashes in Gaza continue. Netanyahu's office: The Israeli negotiating team will head to the resumption of negotiations on Thursday. After Israel's attack on the Houthis, Saudi Arabia called for 'maximum restraint.' Israeli Foreign Minister: Erdogan has turned Turkey into a 'terrorism-supporting' country. Israeli fighter jets attacked 'two military warehouses' of Hezbollah in southern Lebanon.