Israel’s President, Isaac Herzog has stated that it is Israel’s duty to return all of captives held in Gaza, the living “and those we must bring to burial in Israel.”
His remarks came as the Israeli army announced that bodies of three captives were recovered from Gaza.
The bodies of the three Israeli captives were recovered overnight in Jabalia the northern Gaza by the army in cooperation with the Shin Bet intelligence service.
The army added that the captives were all taken from Israel’s Mefalsim Intersection to Gaza.
The military named the captives as Orion Hernandez, 30, Hanan Yablonka, 42, and Michel Nisenbaum, 59.
The Hostage Families Forum reacted to the news of three bodies being recovered, saying that it proved that they need to send a serious negotiating team to try and get back all the people alive and bodies of the dead.
A total of 134 captives have been released or their bodies have been recovered so far.
Ninety-one of them were alive and the vast majority were freed through negotiation deals.
Among the dead, three were killed by Israeli fire.
According to the Israeli military, in December, the three Israeli captives were killed mistakenly in Gaza by Israeli forces while holding up a white flag.
Israel has so far only managed to release three people in military operations alive.
Condolences Sent To Killed Captives’ Families
After the army said that it had recovered bodies of the hostages from Gaza, Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu sent condolences to the families of Orión Hernández Radoux, Hanan Yablonka, and Michel Nisenbaum.
“We have a national and moral duty to do everything we can to return our hostages — the living and the deceased — and that is what we are doing,” he said.
He added, “I congratulate the IDF and security forces who acted with great courage in the heart of enemy territory to return them to their families and for burial in Israel.”
Israel’s President, Isaac Herzog, also expressed that his “heart goes out” to the families of the hostages.
“May the memories of Hanan, Orión and Michel be a blessing,” he said.
Brazilian President, Lula said that he learned of the death of the Brazilian-Israeli hostage, Michel Nisenbaum with “immense sadness” and pledged his solidarity with his family.
He said that Brazil will continue to “fight” and “remain engaged in efforts to have all hostages released” and called for a ceasefire and for peace in Israel and Gaza.
Orion Hernandez, one of the three captives whose bodies Israel’s military recovered in Gaza, was a French-Canadian national.
French President Emmanuel Macron, in a post on X, expressed “immense sadness” at the news of his death.
“France remains more than ever committed to the release of all the hostages,” Macron noted.
Later, Israeli Minister of Culture and Sports, Miki Zohar said that the only way to save the Israeli captives in Gaza is by putting pressure on Hamas.
Responding to the ICJ ruling on Israel’s war in Gaza, he said on X, “Judges of the High Court in The Hague are invited to come to Gaza and convince Hamas to return our abductees home.”
“Until this happens, it is clear that there is no possibility of stopping the fighting in Rafah,” he stressed.
“The cessation of hostilities will be a spit in the face of the abductees who go through hell and hell every day when the only way to save them is only by putting pressure on Hamas,” he added.
