Israel says bodies of 2 hostages returned as military begins Gaza City offensive
Israel on Friday declared Gaza’s largest city a dangerous combat zone and said it was in the "initial stages" of a planned offensive as grief spread over the return of two hostages’ bodies.
As the military announced the resumption of around-the-clock fighting, aid groups and a church sheltering people said they would stay, refusing to abandon the hungry and displaced who depend on them.
The shift comes weeks after Israel first announced plans to widen its offensive in Gaza City, where hundreds of thousands of displaced people are sheltering and enduring famine.
The military said it suspended midday pauses to fighting, which had allowed food and aid supplies to enter from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., while also reporting it had recovered the bodies of two hostages and vowed its military offensive would return more.
Friday's announcement marks the latest escalation after Israel has reported strikes in some of the city's key neighborhoods and called up tens of thousands of reservists.
"We will intensify our strikes until we bring back all the kidnapped hostages and dismantle Hamas," Israeli army spokesperson Avichay Adraee said.
Adraee, the Israeli military’s Arabic-language spokesperson, has for days urged Palestinians in Gaza City to flee south, calling the evacuation "inevitable," even as aid groups warn of severe obstacles.
Bodies of hostages recovered
Israel on Friday said its military had recovered the bodies of two hostages, including an Israeli man who was killed in the Oct. 7, 2023, attack that sparked the war.
The bodies of Ilan Weiss of Kibbutz Be’eri and another unnamed hostage were returned to Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said.
"The campaign to return the hostages continues continuously. We will not rest or be silent until we return all of our hostages home — both the living and the dead," Netanyahu said.
Of the 251 hostages taken by Hamas-led militants almost 22 months ago, roughly 50 remain in Gaza, including 20 that Israel believes to be alive.
Israel’s Hostages and Missing Families Forum, which has organized large-scale protests demanding a ceasefire to return the hostages, mourned the losses and said Israeli leaders should prioritize a deal to return both the living and the dead.
"We call on the Israeli government to enter negotiations and stay at the table until every last hostage comes home. Time is running out for the hostages. Time is running out for the people of Israel who carry this burden," it said in a statement.
