JERUSALEM: Israeli commandos have recovered the body of a hostage held in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, the military said on Saturday, three months after he pleaded for his release in a video issued by his Palestinian Islamic Jihad captors.
Elad Katzir, a 47-year-old farmer from Kibbutz Nir Oz, was among 253 people dragged into Gaza during an Oct. 7 cross-border rampage by Hamas-led Palestinian gunmen that triggered Israel’s ongoing offensive in the enclave.
Katzir was killed by Islamic Jihad, the military statement said, citing intelligence information which it did not detail.
There was no immediate comment on the Telegram channel used by Islamic Jihad during the war.
Katzir’s father, Avraham, was among some 1,200 people killed in Israel on Oct. 7, according to official tallies, while his mother Hanna was also taken hostage but freed in November under a ceasefire with Hamas, Gaza’s dominant Islamist movement.
Qatari and Egyptian mediators have been trying, so far fruitlessly, to secure another truce that might return some of the 129 remaining hostages. Hamas wants any deal to end the war, which Gaza health officials say has killed more than 33,000 Palestinians. But Israel intends to fight on until Hamas falls.
In a Jan. 8 video posted by Islamic Jihad online, Katzir said: “I was close to dying more than once. It’s a miracle I’m still alive ... I want to tell my family that I love them very much and I miss them very much.”
Based on various sources of information, Israel has declared at least 35 hostages as dead in Gaza captivity. Palestinian factions have said some were killed in Israeli strikes. While confirming this in several cases, Israel says that, in others, hostages whose bodies were recovered bore signs of execution.
Israeli troops recover body of hostage from Gaza’s Khan Younis, military says
https://arab.news/v22kh
Israeli troops recover body of hostage from Gaza’s Khan Younis, military says
- Elad Katzir, a 47-year-old farmer from Kibbutz Nir Oz, was among 253 people dragged into Gaza during an Oct. 7 cross-border rampage
Syrian and US officials discuss reopening of embassy in Washington, disposal of chemical weapons
- US Special Envoy Tom Barrack highlights interest among major American companies in investment opportunities in Syria’s oil and energy sectors
LONDON: Syria’s foreign minister, Asaad Al-Shaibani, and the US special envoy for Syria, Tom Barrack, on Wednesday discussed the steps required to reopen the Syrian embassy in Washington, D.C.
They also talked about the establishment of an international committee to ensure transparency in the process to eliminate the chemical weapons under Syrian supervision, the Syrian Arab News Agency reported.
During their meeting in Damascus they addressed a number of strategic issues with the aim of promoting a new phase of bilateral cooperation, and reaffirmed a strong shared commitment to the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Syria.
Al-Shaibani and Barrack reviewed the steps being taken to integrate the Syrian Democratic Forces into state institutions following a ceasefire agreement and the deployment of government forces in northeastern Syria last month.
Both officials emphasized the importance of support for Syria in its efforts to battle Daesh and enhance its role as a key partner in regional security, the news agency said.
Barrack also highlighted the interest among major American companies in investment opportunities in Syria’s oil and energy sectors.
