GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israel on Friday said its military had recovered the bodies of two hostages, including an Israeli man who was killed in the Oct. 7 attack that sparked the war.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said in a statement that the bodies of Ilan Weiss of Kibbutz Be’eri and another unnamed hostage were returned to Israel.
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.
THIS IS A
BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israel’s military has suspended mid-day pauses to fighting, which had allowed the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza City, saying on Friday that the city was now “a dangerous combat zone.”
The city was among the places that Israel paused fighting last month to allow food and aid supplies to enter from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
The “tactical pauses” applied to Gaza City, Deir al-Balah and Muwasi, where hundreds of thousands of displaced people are sheltering. The suspension came as Israel prepared to widen its offensive in the city, days after it reported strikes in key neighborhoods and called up tens of thousands of reservists.
Israel’s military did not say whether they had notified residents or aid groups of the impending declaration ahead of the 11:30 a.m. announcement.
Israel has in the past called Gaza City a Hamas stronghold, with a network of tunnels that remain in use by militants after several previous large-scale raids.
The city also is home to some of the territory’s critical infrastructure and health facilities. The United Nations said Thursday the besieged strip could lose half of its hospital bed capacity if Israel invades as planned.
The suspension of the pause also comes one week after the world’s leading food security authority declared Gaza City was being gripped by famine after months of warnings.
The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, or IPC, said hunger has been driven by fighting and Israel's blockade on the majority of aid and magnified by widespread displacement and the collapse of food production.
Norwegian Refugee Council, which coordinates a coalition of aid groups active in Gaza, said Israel's preparation for its large-scale ground offensive has made deliveries challenging.
“We have faced unprecedented access and movement restrictions,” spokesperson Shaina Low said Friday. “Intensified military operations are going to further hinder our ability respond.”
UNRWA, the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees, said the looming offensive could further displace 1 million people, including many who were previously displaced.
“Any further escalation would deepen suffering and push more people toward catastrophe,” the agency said in a post on X.
