The bodies of two Israeli hostages held in Gaza have been retrieved by Israeli troops in the war ravaged strip.
One of the bodies recovered by the IDF was Ilan Weiss, who was abducted from Kibbutz Be'eri on October 7 2023.
Weiss, 55, was kidnapped from his home and killed during the October 7, 2023, cross-border attack by Hamas, the Israeli military said.
His wife, Shiri, and daughter, Noga, were also abducted and later released as part of a hostage-prisoner swap deal in November 2023.
With Weiss's body recovered, Israel says 49 hostages remain in Gaza, of whom only 20 are believed to be alive.
The identity of the other remains are yet to be revealed, with the body being examined at the National Forensics Centre in Tel Aviv.
"The campaign to return the hostages continues continuously. We will not rest or be silent until we return all of our hostages home — both the living and the dead," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.
On October 7, 2023, around 1,200 people were killed and 251 were taken hostage during the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel, according to Israeli authorities.
Israel's military campaign in Gaza has killed more than 62,000 Palestinians, according to health officials.
The war has displaced nearly the entire population of Gaza, devastated infrastructure, and triggered a humanitarian crisis.
The Israeli Hostages Families Forum has urged Mr Netanyahu's government to negotiate for a ceasefire and a hostage release deal to bring the remaining captives home.
"We call on the Israeli government to enter negotiations and stay at the table until every last hostage comes home. Time is running out for the hostages. Time is running out for the people of Israel who carry this burden," it said in a statement.
Earlier on Friday, the Israeli military announced it had ended so-called humanitarian pauses in fighting in Gaza City, put in place weeks ago to allow for aid to enter the area.
The move comes ahead of a mission to capture and occupy the major population hub intensifying, likely displacing hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in the process.
In the past, Israel has 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 is also home to some of the territory's critical infrastructure and health facilities.
The United Nations said on Thursday the besieged strip could lose half of its hospital bed capacity if Israel invades it 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 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 on Friday.
"Intensified military operations are going to further hinder our ability to respond."
UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, said the looming offensive could further displace one 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.
Reuters/AP/ABC
