Israel recovers bodies of two hostages as massive Gaza City attack begins

Thousands flee area as IDF ends daily ceasefire agreement

- NICOLE WOOTTON-CANE

Israel has recovered the remains of two men killed in the 7 October 2023 attack, as it suspended scheduled pauses to allow the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza City.

Israel Defense Forces branded the area “a dangerous combat zone” as it announced it would be suspending the “tactical local ceasefire” there from 10am local time [0700 GMT] yesterday in a post on X (Twitter).

The shift comes as Israel prepares to mobilise tens of thousands of troops to seize Gaza City. In the past, the country has said that the city is a Hamas stronghold, with a network of tunnels that remain in use by militants after several previous large-scale raids.

Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said in a statement that the body of Ilan Weiss, 55, of Kibbutz Be’eri, was returned to Israel. His wife, Shiri, and daughter, Noga, were also abducted and later released as part of a hostage-prisoner swap deal in November 2023. The remains of a second hostage, whose identity has not been released yet, were also recovered, the IDF says.