Amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas, the Israeli army has discovered several bodies in Gaza. Efforts are underway to retrieve these bodies and identify them. It is believed that these bodies belong to kidnapped Israeli hostages. However, this has not been officially confirmed yet.
According to the Times of Israel, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement, ‘Currently, military work is ongoing in the area and the process of removing and identifying bodies is being carried out, which will last for several hours.’
Biden in contact with Israeli officials
These bodies have been found at a time when just a few days ago the army rescued 52-year-old Israeli hostage Qaid Farhan al-Qadi from a tunnel in southern Gaza. US President Joe Biden has confirmed that his staff is in contact with Israeli officials and has acknowledged the discovery of bodies in Gaza.
Protest against Netanyahu government
However, he said the exact number is still unclear as the process of identifying the bodies is ongoing. A prominent activist group, the Hostage Forum, on Sunday launched protests against Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu’s government after the IDF reported the bodies found in Gaza.
Meanwhile, the Palestinian Health Ministry said that 40,691 people have been killed and 94,060 injured in Israeli military attacks in the Gaza Strip since October 7. According to Israeli figures, the war began when Palestinian Islamist group Hamas attacked Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking about 250 hostages.
Source (PTI) (NDTV) (HINDUSTANTIMES)