Negotiations have for months focused on trying to secure a cease-fire of at least six weeks, along with the release of about half of nearly 100 hostages believed to be remaining in Gaza, in exchange for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails. Hamas said it would send a delegation from to Cairo on Sunday, following an invitation from Egyptian officials.
Ahead of the latest round of talks this weekend, Biden also told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a phone call that “everything must be done to secure the release of hostages,” said the administration official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity under rules set by the White House.
The Israeli military said Saturday that overnight, its forces in Khan Younis in Gaza had recovered the body of an Israeli hostage, Elad Katzir, who was killed in captivity by militants. Katzir was taken hostage in the Hamas-led Oct. 7 attack, in which his father was killed, and his mother was released in November during a pause in fighting under a deal between Hamas and Israel.
In a scathing post on social media, his sister Karmit Palti Katzir said having a grave for him would bring an end to the uncertainty, but accused Israeli leaders including the military of abandoning hostages in Gaza, and having “no clue” where most are being held or “how to keep them safe.”
She said her brother had been filmed twice in captivity by militants. “It was possible to save him if a deal would’ve happened on time. Our leadership are cowards and are motivated by political interests and that’s why a deal didn’t happen,” she wrote. “Look at yourself in the mirror and tell us that your hands didn’t spill this blood.”
Anger from the bereaved families of hostages has added to a chorus of different voices calling for a deal. Ahead of the latest round of talks, pressure has also grown on Israel over its attack this week on World Central Kitchen aid workers delivering food to a besieged population facing imminent famine in Gaza.
Australia said Saturday that it has “not yet received sufficient information to satisfy our expectations” in Israel’s probe of the strikes, which killed seven members of the aid convoy, including an Australian, as well as American, Palestinian, Polish and British workers. Australia is appointing a Special Adviser “so we can be advised about the appropriateness of the process” of the Israeli probe, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong added.
On Friday, a group of 40 House Democrats called for pausing offensive arms transfers to Israel over the WCK attack, “until a full investigation into the airstrike is completed.” The letter, signed by lawmakers including Reps. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), addressed the Biden administration as global calls for suspending weapons to Israel grow.
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The Israeli military dismissed two officers and reprimanded three commanders over the WCK attack, after Israel said its investigation found it was a “serious violation” of procedures. But the nonprofit said Israel’s military “cannot credibly investigate its own failure,” calling for an independent review. About 200 aid workers have been killed during the war, most of them Palestinian, according to the United Nations.
Almost one-third of children under the age of 2 in northern Gaza are suffering from “severe wasting,” the most lethal form of malnutrition, the U.N. humanitarian affairs office said. “A severely wasted child is reduced to the most basic bodily functions,” according to UNICEF. “It takes all their energy just to keep breathing.” At least 28 children have died of lack of food and water, the U.N. office said, citing the Gaza Health Ministry, and more than 50,000 children under the age of 5 are acutely malnourished.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the “real test is results” after Israel said it would open more aid routes into Gaza. E.U. foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said the measures were “not enough to prevent starvation” in the Palestinian enclave. Israel’s announcement came hours after a call in which Biden told Netanyahu that the United States would reassess its policy on the war if Israel did not immediately address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and protect aid workers.
Iran pledged “revenge” for an Israeli strike in Damascus that killed two senior Iranian commanders this week, and stoked fears of widening war in the region. Iran’s armed forces chief, Major General Mohammad Bagheri, said Saturday that Iran would retaliate “at the right time and with maximum damage,” adding that the United States as Israel’s biggest ally was also “responsible” for the attack on the diplomatic building. Israel’s military has been on high alert, bracing for Tehran’s promised response.
The IDF said one of its military helicopters mistakenly killed a hostage on Oct. 7 when it fired at a vehicle carrying Hamas militants and hostages. It said the commander of the air force “did not find fault in the operation by the helicopter crew” following an investigation.
At least 33,137 people have been killed and 75,815 injured in Gaza since the war began, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants and says the majority of the dead are women and children. Israel estimates that about 1,200 people were killed in Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack, including more than 300 soldiers, and says 256 soldiers have been killed since the start of its military operation in Gaza.
Karen DeYoung, Victoria Bisset, Mohamad El Chamaa and Michael Miller contributed to this report.
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