JERUSALEM, Israel – Secretary of State Anthony Blinken left Israel for Egypt Tuesday as Israelis learned that the Israel Defense Forces had recovered the bodies of six hostages.
In a joint operation overnight the IDF and Israel’s Security Apparatus rescued the bodies of six male hostages from tunnels in the Khan Younis area of the Gaza Strip. After the bodies were identified, their families were given the tragic news.
Yoram Metzger, 80, Abraham Munder, 79, Chaim Peri, 80, and Alex Dancyg, 75, were all taken captive from Kibbutz Nir Oz, one of the hardest-hit communities.
Metzget’s wife was also taken and returned in November, while Munder’s wife, their daughter, and grandson were all kidnapped and released earlier.
Yagev Buchshtab, 35, was abducted from his home in Kibbutz Nirim, along with his wife who also was released in November. Buchshtab was seen in a Hamas propaganda video released on March 23rd.
Nadav Popplewell, 51, also from Kibbutz Nirim, was kidnapped along with his mother. She was released after 49 days in captivity.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office released a statement saying, “Our hearts grieve over the terrible loss. My wife Sara and I convey our heartfelt condolences to the dear families. I would like to thank the brave IDF and ISA fighters for their heroism and determined action.”
Kibbutz Nirim member Adele Raemer told CBN News the information about the hostages brings closure.
“Nadav we’ve known about for a few months already,” she said. “Yagev, we were notified about, I think, a month and a half ago, maybe. So, it wasn’t a shock. It’s sobering news. Always sobering to hear something like this, but at least they’ll be able to be brought back and have a proper burial in Israel.”
Raemer believes it’s important to return the hostages to their families as soon as possible, but the situation is complicated.
“There is no easy answer. There is no one good answer. If there were, it would have been done,” she declared. “So,on the one hand, we have to look after our country’s security. On the other hand, we have to have the responsibility to bring these people home.”
Raemer continued, “These people who were stolen from their homes – from their beds, in their pajamas, and barefooted – people of all ages who have no business having been kidnapped in the first place. You know, it’s bad enough when it’s a soldier that’s kidnapped and in the line of duty. They were not in the line of duty. They were in the line of life.”
She added, “And nobody should be kidnapped when they were just living their lives. So we need to we need to. We need to figure this out. We’re a smart country. We’re a smart people. We need to find a way to keep our country safe. And yet bring these people home as soon as possible.”
The rescue of the six bodies comes as the ceasefire deal to end the war in Gaza and free the hostages seemed all but dead in the last 48 hours.
Secretary Blinken announced the U.S. and other mediators came up with a proposal that bridges the gap separating Israel and Hamas. Blinken indicated Monday that Netanyahu has signed on.
“In a very constructive meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu today, he confirmed to me that Israel accepts the bridging proposal – that he supports it. It’s now incumbent on Hamas to do the same.”
Netanyahu says he believes Blinken understands that Israel can’t accept any conditions in a ceasefire deal that could threaten the Jewish nation.
“I also greatly appreciate the understanding that the U.S. has shown for our vital security interests as part of our joint efforts to bring about the release of our hostages,” the prime minister stated. “I would like to emphasize: The efforts to release a maximum number of living hostages – already in the first stage of the deal.”
Meanwhile, according to The Wall Street Journal, Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar believes the hostage deal is just a bluff, and he is seeking to expand the conflict beyond Gaza to Judea and Samaria.
Iran continues to vow that it will punish Israel for the killing in Tehran of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh to punish Israel at the proper time.
“Regarding punishment for the aggressor against the Iranian territory, the Iranian government, in agreement to the U.N. Charter and international law, has an intrinsic right to punishment and will act decisively in this regard,” said Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Nasser Kanaani.
Blinken stated the U.S. has deployed additional assets to the region to deter such an attack and to respond if an attack occurs.
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