Israeli army recovers bodies in Gaza
Israel’s military says troops found bodies in Gaza but didn’t provide further details.
“The [army] located several bodies during the fighting in the Gaza Strip. At this stage, the forces are still operating in the area and carrying out a process to extract and identify the bodies, which will last several hours. We ask to avoid spreading rumours,” said military spokesman Daniel Hagari in a post on X.
Families of Israeli captives call for large-scale protests
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum made the call after the Israeli military said it had found bodies in Gaza, prompting speculation the remains were of some of the captives held by Hamas.
“Netanyahu abandoned the hostages. It is now a fact,” the forum said in a statement, according to The Times of Israel.
“Starting tomorrow, the country will tremble. We call on the public to prepare. The country will grind to a halt. The abandonment is over,” the statement said.
Israeli opposition leader accuses Netanyahu of abandoning captives
Yair Lapid took to X accusing the Israeli prime minister of focusing on insignificant issues as “our sons and daughters are being abandoned and dying in captivity”.
“Not the Philadelphi Corridor nor the polio vaccines [in Gaza] interest him — just the coalition” and preserving the partnership with far-right ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben Gvir, Lapid wrote.
“In the process, he is crushing the families and the nation of Israel,” he added.
The tweet came after the Israeli military said it had recovered bodies from Gaza and was in the process of identifying the remains.
Family confirms death of Israeli-American captive Hersh Goldberg-Polin
The family of Israeli-American captive Hersh Goldberg-Polin says he has been killed in the Gaza Strip.
“With broken hearts, the Goldberg-Polin family is devastated to announce the death of their beloved son and brother, Hersh,” the family said in a statement hours after the Israeli army said it had located bodies in Gaza.
A much-loved member of an antiracist football community in Jerusalem, Goldberg-Polin was 23 years old when he was taken captive by Hamas on October 7.
Biden says Israeli forces have recovered bodies of six captives from Gaza
The US president said the bodies of the six captives were found in a tunnel under the city of Rafah and included that of American citizen, Hersh Goldberg-Polin.
“I am devastated and outraged,” Biden said.
He added that he grieved deeply with the parents of Goldberg-Polin.
“I have worked tirelessly to bring their beloved Hersh safely to them and am heartbroken by the news of his death. It is as tragic as it is reprehensible. Make no mistake, Hamas leaders will pay for these crimes,” he said.
“And we will keep working around the clock for a deal to secure the release of the remaining hostages,” he added.
It's your own doing, your bombs, your political cover, your genocide. Your red line was Rafah, but you caved, and now the hostages held in Rafah are dead.
More on the Israeli captives who were found dead in Gaza
The Axios news site is reporting that the six Israeli captives – whose bodies were recovered from Gaza by the Israeli military on Saturday – were all abducted from the Nova music festival by Hamas fighters on October 7.
They included that of three men and three women, the US outlet said. And as we’ve been reporting, they included that of Israeli-American captive, Hersh Goldberg-Polin.
Axios, citing Israeli officials, said it is still unclear when and how the captives were killed but some of them were still alive in recent months.
Israeli forces blow up residential buildings in Rafah
The Israeli military is blowing up more residential buildings in western parts of the southern city of Rafah, according to Al Jazeera Arabic’s correspondent on the ground.
Israeli forces have also launched air raids on the northwestern areas of Rafah city, AJA added.
Remains of destroyed buildings in Rafah, seen through the Egypt-Gaza border on July 4
