The Israeli army announced on Sunday that it had recovered the bodies of three hostages from the Gaza Strip, while four Palestinians were reported killed and 22 injured in an airstrike while queueing for humanitarian aid in the center of Gaza.
The military named the hostages as Yonatan Samerano, 21; Ofra Keidar, 70; and Shay Levinson, 19. All three were among the victims of the Hamas attack on Israel on 7 October 2023, which led to the current war.
Israel claims Hamas still holds approximately 50 hostages and that fewer than half are known to be alive.
The military did not provide clear details about the rescue operation, and it is still not known if the airstrike in Gaza's Nuseirat refugee camp had any connection to it.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made a statement on Sunday, stating: "The operation to bring back the hostages goes on uninterruptedly and is taking place parallel to the campaign against Iran."
Yonatan Samerano's remains were repatriated on what would have been his 23rd birthday, according to Yonatan's father, Kobi Samerano, who reported the information on Facebook.
The 7 October attack by Hamas and fellow militants killed some 1,200 in Israel, a majority of whom were civilians, and took 251 hostages into Gaza.
Over half have since been freed under ceasefire agreements and other arrangements. Eight have been rescued alive, and dozens of others have had their bodies recovered by Israeli forces.
In reprisal, Israel unleashed a large-scale military operation that has so far killed over 55,000 Palestinians, Gaza's Health Ministry states. The ministry, which does not make distinctions between combatants and civilians, reports that over half of the dead include women and children.
On Sunday, an Israeli airstrike hit a densely populated area of the Nuseirat refugee camp, according to Al-Awda Hospital, which reported four people killed and 22 injured. The victims were reportedly waiting for aid trucks.
Palestinian health authorities and witnesses have charged Israeli soldiers with repeatedly shooting crowds looking for food, killing hundreds of people in recent weeks. The military insists that it only shoots warning shots at those who approach its troops in a suspicious manner.
At the same time, World Central Kitchen — the aid organization headed by celebrity chef José Andrés — reinstated its hot meal delivery in Gaza after a six-week break.
The charity suspended operations after an Israeli airstrike that destroyed its vehicle and killed seven of its workers. Deliveries resumed after Israel relaxed its blockade last month as fears of famine continued to grow.
The war has raged on, with Israel recently conducting a surprise attack on Iran. In a related development, the United States overnight conducted airstrikes on three Iranian nuclear facilities.
The Hostages Families Forum, which supports the release of those still being held in Gaza, stated in a statement on Sunday that safe return of the remaining hostages ought to be Israel's priority.
"Especially against the background of recent military gains and the major breakthroughs in Iran, we would like to stress that securing the return of the remaining 50 hostages is the cornerstone to any kind of victory," the group stated.
Hamas has indicated that it will only return the remaining hostages in exchange for a permanent truce, the freeing of additional Palestinian prisoners, and an Israeli withdrawal of troops from Gaza.
Netanyahu has turned down those conditions, indicating that Israel will not stop the war until all the hostages are released and Hamas is vanquished, disarmed, or in exile.
He also stated that Israel will hold long-term security dominance over Gaza and arrange what he termed the voluntary exodus of many of its inhabitants — a policy opponents refer to as a type of forceful expulsion.
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