Bodies of 6 hostages ignite criticism of Netanyahu: Found in Khan Younis

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A new development has emerged regarding the Israeli hostages held in the Gaza Strip since last October 7.

Israel announced on Tuesday that a joint force of the Israeli army and the General Security Service “Shabak” managed to locate the burial site of six Israeli hostages in Gaza, following the receipt of intelligence information.

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With the return of the six bodies, 109 hostages remain in Gaza, including 36 whom Israel believes to have been killed.

The Israeli army stated, “This operation was carried out by fighters from the Paratroopers Brigade, Yahalom Unit, and Battalion 75, under the leadership of Division 98, in cooperation with General Security Service forces.”

It added, “The success of the operation is due to precise intelligence from Shabak, intelligence units, and the Hostage Directorate in the Intelligence Department, which led to identifying the location of the bodies in the Khan Younis area.” The hostages whose bodies were returned were Yagiv Bukhtashev, Alexander Dentsig, Avraham Munder, Yoram Metzger, Nadav Boblowel, and Haim Perry.

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The Israeli army did not provide further details about the operation, but the Israeli Broadcasting Authority indicated that there were no gunmen in the area where the hostages were buried.

The authority said, “In the area where the six hostages’ bodies were buried, there was no resistance, but ongoing fighting surrounded the area.”

It added, “It seems that as the Israeli army advanced in Khan Younis, the gunmen fled from the area where the bodies were buried.”

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For its part, the Israeli newspaper “Maariv” reported that the bodies were found in a tunnel in one of the neighborhoods of Khan Younis.

It noted that the killed hostages were kidnapped from Nir Oz and Nirim, southern Israel, though the Israeli army has not yet determined when they were killed.

“Maariv” added, “In early June, it was reported that four hostages, Haim Perry, Yoram Metzger, Amiram Cooper, and Nadav Boblowel, were killed by Hamas in the Gaza Strip.”

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It continued, “The four were killed together under the same circumstances, and it is believed they were held in Khan Younis.”

The Israeli army estimates that the four, who appeared in a video released by Hamas last December, were killed weeks after the video was published.

The newspaper added, “The Israeli army is investigating whether the four were killed around the time of the 98th division’s maneuver in Khan Younis.” It noted that a few days ago, strong intelligence information reached Shabak and military intelligence about the location of the bodies, without specifying the source.

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Following the announcement of the discovery of the six bodies, renewed calls were made in Israel for an immediate agreement with Hamas to return the hostages, release Palestinian prisoners, and impose a ceasefire in Gaza.

Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid said in a post on platform X: “Days go by, and we are losing more and more hostages… We need to make a deal… and it must happen now.”

Lapid also criticized the government: “They were alive.”

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The families of the hostages stated in a communiqué: “The State of Israel has a moral and ethical obligation to return all the dead for proper burial and to bring back all the living hostages for rehabilitation.”

The families added: “The immediate return of all 109 hostages can only happen through an agreement! The Israeli government, with the help of mediators, must do everything to sign the deal currently on the table.”

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The families had expected Avraham Munder to be alive before the announcement of the discovery of his body.

They said: “His death in captivity shows that the delay in making the deal cost his life and the lives of other hostages.”