Israel: Two bodies of hostages found near Shifa Hospital

A dead 65-year-old woman was discovered in an annex to the hospital, brought to Israel and identified, the Israeli military said on Thursday. On Friday morning, the military said the remains of a kidnapped 19-year-old soldier had been found near the hospital.

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The 65-year-old woman was kidnapped from the border town of Beeri on October 7th during the Hamas massacre. The Israeli army had already reported the death of the 19-year-old soldier on Tuesday. At the time, it remained unclear where the military got the information about the woman’s death and whether her body was in the army’s custody. It was the first time that Israel confirmed a death among the hostages previously claimed by Hamas. It was now said that her body was identified by experts in Israel on Thursday evening. A cause of death was not initially announced.

240 hostages kidnapped

The armed wing of the Islamist Hamas, the Qassam Brigades, had previously published a video of the woman on Telegram. Among other things, she was seen with very serious injuries. The terrorist organization claimed the soldier was killed in an Israeli airstrike in the Gaza Strip on November 9. The information could not be independently verified.

The Israeli military spokesman said on Friday that the army would locate the missing and return those abducted home. We will not let up until this mission is accomplished, he continued. On October 7, terrorists from the Islamist Hamas and other groups kidnapped around 240 hostages to the Gaza Strip in massacres and attacks in the Israeli border area that left around 1,200 dead.

Water and food for Gaza

Israel’s military has meanwhile delivered more than 4,000 liters of drinking water and 1,500 food rations to Al-Shifa Hospital, as it announced on X on Friday. Photos showed a truck carrying water bottles and a pallet being unloaded by a forklift. The information could not initially be independently confirmed. Early on Wednesday morning, the military reported that soldiers had entered the largest hospital in the city of Gaza. The operation appeared to continue on Friday – despite international protests against the military operation in a hospital. Israel accuses the Islamist Hamas of using the clinic as a terrorist base.

Meanwhile, details of an attack on Thursday emerged. According to the military, a soldier and three attackers were killed at an Israeli military barrier south of Jerusalem. Military spokesman Daniel Hagari confirmed on Thursday evening previous information from the police and Israeli media that referred to the rescue service. The Qassam Brigades claimed responsibility for the attack.

“We are on the best track”

The attackers opened fire at the military checkpoint. According to Hagari, the attackers from Hebron in the West Bank had plans to carry out a larger attack. According to media reports, they wanted to get to Jerusalem.

Israel’s Chief of General Staff Herzi Halevi announced on Friday that operations in the Gaza Strip would be expanded. “We are close to dismantling the military system in the northern Gaza Strip (…) we will continue in other areas,” said Halevi, according to the statement, on Friday during a visit to troops in the Gaza Strip. “There’s still a lot to do, but we’re well on the way.”

Commanders of the Islamist Hamas must be “systematically” eliminated and infrastructure destroyed. To this end, “more and more regions are being targeted”.

So far, Israel’s ground troops have concentrated on the northern part of the Gaza Strip in recent weeks. However, experts assume that operations will also be expanded in the south. There are already repeated air raids there.

A possible ground offensive could further aggravate the already devastating humanitarian situation. According to the UN, almost 1.6 of the approximately 2.2 million inhabitants of the coastal area have fled as a result of the fighting. A large proportion of the displaced people are in the south of the coastal area. Israel’s military had called on civilians to evacuate the north.

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