The bodies of three more hostages are in Israeli care as of Sunday, June 22, the country’s military announced, leaving some 50 more to be returned. Meanwhile, ambulance activity in the Gaza Strip has come to a “complete halt,” as Israeli strikes killed upwards of 50 people in a 24-hour period, according to multiple reports.
IDF operation recovers three hostages
On Sunday, the Israeli military said it recovered the bodies of three hostages who were killed during Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, surprise attack on Israel. That attack, which saw 1,200 Israelis killed and 250 taken hostage, sparked the current war, which is four months shy of reaching two years.
The recovered hostages include 21-year-old Yonatan Samerano, 70-year-old Ofra Keidar, and Shay Levinson, aged 19.
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“The campaign to return the hostages continues consistently and is happening alongside the campaign against Iran,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement.
The Israeli military announced its hostage recovery operation shortly after the U.S. executed a military airstrike on its behalf, severely damaging three Iranian nuclear facilities. However, the AP notes that it’s unclear if the airstrike was related to the hostage operation. Iran has long been a supporter of Hamas, the militant group responsible for launching the Oct. 7 attacks on Israel.
According to The Times of Israel, the recovery operation was carried out by the Israel Defense Forces’ Gaza Division, utilizing “precise intelligence” from the Hostages Headquarters unit, the Military Intelligence Directorate, and the Shin Bet.
The paper also reports that Hamas is still holding 50 hostages. At least 28 are believed to be dead, 20 alive, and the condition of two others is unknown.
In a statement, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said, “We want to emphasize that bringing back the remaining 50 hostages is the key to achieving any sort of victory. There is a historic window of opportunity — the significant regional achievements enable Israel to end the war from a position of clear strength.”
Dozens of Palestinians killed as ambulance activity comes to a halt
Early Sunday morning, Ramy Abdul, a Gaza-born Palestinian financial expert and human rights advocate, wrote on X that “All ambulance vehicles in Gaza City have come to a complete halt,” following an Israeli ban on fuel entering the enclave.
This development occurs as Israeli forces killed at least 30 Palestinians across Gaza on Sunday, Al Jazeera reports, citing hospital sources in the region. Gaza’s Health Ministry puts the number at 51 in the last 24 hours.
Four of those deaths came from an airstrike on central Gaza’s Nuseirat refugee camp, Al-Awda Hospital told the AP. Another 22 were wounded while waiting for aid trucks. Another six were killed after Israel reportedly imposed an internet blackout that lasted five hours, a Gaza-based correspondent for Al Jazeera reports.
Since launching its offensive in the Gaza Strip, Israel has killed more than 55,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. While the ministry does not distinguish between civilians and combatants, the U.S. intelligence community suggests that Hamas had around 25,000 combatants prior to the Oct. 7 attacks. As of February, the number stands at around 17,000. If U.S. estimates are correct, that means from a death toll of around 55,000, roughly 47,000 would be civilians or noncombatants.
Aid distribution contractor requests $30 million in US funding
Meanwhile, the aid distribution sites run by the private Israel- and U.S.-backed contractor, Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), continue to be plagued with reports of indiscriminate killings. While witnesses, hospital staff and experts maintain that Israeli gunfire is responsible for hundreds of Palestinian deaths at the sites, Israel asserts it has only ever fired warning shots near crowds –– never into them.
However, when asked how its soldiers handle crowd control near the sites, the IDF told the Associated Press its “operational conduct … is accompanied by systematic learning processes.”
Similarly, the GHF has denied that any shootings have occurred near its sites during operational hours, and said the incidents that are reported happen before the sites open, when Palestinians desperate for aid approach the areas “during prohibited times … or trying to take a short cut.”
Earlier this month, GHF temporarily paused its work in Gaza amid concerns of overcrowding, violence and an impending famine. However, the group has since requested an additional $30 million from the U.S. government to continue its operations. According to a funding application obtained by The Associated Press, GHF projects its costs to hit $150 million a month, or roughly $1.8 billion annually.
