Israel recovers the bodies of two hostages, a septuagenarian Israeli-American couple.

BarcelonaThe Israeli army has recovered the bodies of two hostages in the southern Gaza Strip, the married couple formed by Judy Weinstein-Haggai and Gadi Haggai, aged 70 and 73, respectively, kidnapped by Hamas on October 7, 2023, as announced on Thursday by the Prime Minister. Israeli-American were recovered in a special operation in the Khan Younis area, in the southern Gaza Strip, according to an army statement. There are still 56 Israeli hostages inside Gaza., and less than half are believed to be alive, according to Tel Aviv estimates.

Separately, an Israeli bombing of the Baptist Hospital in Gaza City, in the north of the Strip, left four journalists dead and one more wounded on Thursday. They are Samir al-Rifai, an editor at the Shams news agency; Suleiman Hajjaj, a reporter for the Palestine Today television channel; Ismail Badah, a cameraman for the same television station; and Ahmed Qaljah, a cameraman for Al-Arabiya television. Also wounded is Imad Daloul, a correspondent for the Palestine channel, who is in serious condition in the ICU, according to Efe.

All of them were working in the courtyard of the Baptist Hospital when Israeli fighter jets bombed it. "The bombing was aimed at journalists," a local source told Efe. Since the start of the Israeli offensive against the Palestinian enclave, more than 220 Gazan journalists have been killed by Israeli army attacks and bombings. As of Thursday, Israeli attacks have killed at least 43 people, medical sources told Al Jazeera.

Hostages killed on October 7

For their part, the family of the recovered hostage couple said in a statement that they would finally be able to bring "closure" to their grief and give them "a proper burial at home, in Israel." "Our hearts will not be whole until the 12 Nir Oz hostages, and the 56 hostages in total, are returned," they added about the kibbutz where the couple lived. Forensic tests had confirmed the identity of the bodies. "Following an identification procedure carried out by the National Institute of Forensic Medicine, the Israel Police, and the Hostage Task Force of the Army's Personnel Directorate, the family and the community of Nir Oz were notified," the army statement said, sending its condolences to the families as soon as possible.

According to the Israeli newspaper HareetzGadi Haggai, 73, and Judy Weinstein-Haggai, 70, were killed on October 7, 2023, during the Hamas attack, which caught them while they were walking through the kibbutz. She managed to call a kibbutz member for help, telling him she had been shot in the arm and had a wound in her face, and that her husband had been shot in the head.

The woman was an English teacher and instructor of mindfulness and her husband worked as a cook, and they had four children and several grandchildren. He, born in Kibbutz Ein HaShofet, had served in the Israeli armed forces orchestra. his wife, who had come to the country from the United States and was a volunteer at Kibbutz Ein HaShofet.

Two American citizens are still believed to be held in Gaza, also dead. years old and served in the armored corps. Hamas handed over the last surviving American hostage last month, following direct negotiations with US representative Steve Witkoff that involved Israeli officials. Israel began its military campaign in Gaza after the assault. 2,1200 people and took 251 hostages. The subsequent Israeli offensive has already caused the deaths of more than 54,000 Palestinians., more than half of whom are children.

This Thursday, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar traveled to Berlin to meet with his German counterpart, Johann Wadephul. This meeting was eagerly awaited due to the escalating tone of Israel's repeated massacre of Palestinian civilians. However, the meeting did not reveal any change in Germany's policy of total support for Benjamin Netanyahu's government, reflecting the chaos and deaths it has caused in its first few days of operation. "There's a logic to it," he said, justifying the argument that "Hamas cannot use it for its own purposes," an argument echoed by his counterpart.