Israelis held hostage in Gaza - part 4

[StillHELDhostage4]

New thread.

Went to post on thread 3 and it's full.

Sad 4th thread and hostages still held by Hamas and others.

"I have no doubt in my heart that [Bilha Yinon] would be so proud of the journey my family are on - with Israeli and Palestinian partners - to create a path to peace, through hope and reconciliation," he said."

Really sad.

The family felt
that she had died but now
they know. What sadness it must bring, but peace too perhaps.

They are certainly admirable to express these feelings:

"I have no doubt in my heart that [Bilha Yinon] would be so proud of the journey my family are on - with Israeli and Palestinian partners - to create a path to peace, through hope and reconciliation," he said.

With the recent update, sadly confirming deaths, does anyone know how many hostages are still held by Hamas/others?

I saw video released suggesting some of the hostages still held were tortured and footage released (I didn't see it). Not sure if those people are still alive.

Hoping negotiations lead to release of the remaining hostages.

I read that Israeli officials estimate that only about half the remaining 115 hostages have survived the fighting in Gaza so far.

I feel awful for admitting it, but I honestly don't know if I wished those young girls were dead or alive.

Thank you, I don't know either. Perhaps the families and the Israeli government don't know for certain. Previously, hamas said they didn't know where all the hostages were. They have also lied about which people are alive or dead and don't allow independent agencies access to them.

Poor families, its awful for them.

I feel so disappointed they have been forgotten about by the rest of the world.

Yes sadly it looks that way. 😢

they are not forgotten here

Definitely not forgotten here. Not by any of us posting here. My family keep them and their families in our prayers.

Thank you for keeping the Israeli hostages in our thoughts ❤️

I have not forgotten them. They are at the heart of a feeling of dread for their well being everyday, and despair that they have not been got out.

Haaretz
White House Says Smotrich 'Dead Wrong,' Views 'Would Sacrifice the Lives of Israeli and American Hostages'

'Sometimes countries that value the lives of their citizens make these kinds of trades to save innocent lives,' National Security Council Spokesperson Kirby said, adding that the deal on the table 'fully protects Israel's national security interests'

National Security Council Spokesperson John Kirby harshly criticized on Friday statements by Israeli officials attacking the potential cease-fire and hostage deal.

Recent news in the last hour of calls for a ceasefire and release of hostages and unfettered aid. They have held them for over 10 months now.

https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/israel-hamas-war-latest-leaders-france-germany-britain-112768936

Very bad news,

An Israeli male hostage held in Gaza has been shot dead by his guard, Hamas has said.

In a separate incident, two women being held in Gaza were seriously wounded, the militant group said.

Abu Ubaida, a spokesperson for Hamas' armed al-Qassam Brigades, said a committee has been formed to investigate what happened in both incidents.

More details will be shared later, he added in the statement, posted on Telegram, adding that efforts were under way to save the two wounded hostages
https://news.sky.com/story/israeli-hostage-killed-by-guard-in-gaza-as-two-women-held-seriously-wounded-13196049

This has also been reported by Al Jazeera
.

That's awful. The sooner they are released or rescued the better.

and every family is wondering if it is their relative. 💔

They still don't know who he was and it seems 2 female hostages held with him were seriously injured by the same guard

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c303d4pdpg6o

This is confusing if it is about the same hostage.
Haaretz
Hamas released a photo of an Israeli hostage, claiming he was killed by his captors in Gaza. The IDF responded that the hostage's body was retrieved in November. The Hostages and Missing Persons Forum announced that the body in the photo Hamas released is of Ofir Tzarfati, and confirmed that it was retrieved to Israel in an IDF operation on November 30.

Jerusalem Post
IDF: Hamas photo of murdered hostage is of body recovered in November

^Hamas: "The guard acted in a vengeful manner contrary to instructions after receiving news of the martyrdom of his two children."*

A Hamas guard who allegedly killed an Israeli hostage on Monday acted 'in a vengeful manner' contrary to instructions, Abu Obeida, spokesperson for Hamas' Al-Qassam Brigades, announced on his Telegram channel on Thursday.

"After investigating the killing of an enemy prisoner by his guard, it was found that the guard assigned to him acted in a vengeful manner contrary to instructions after receiving news of the martyrdom of his two children in one of the enemy's massacres," the statement read.

Abu Obeida added that the incident "does not represent our ethics [when] dealing with prisoners" and that tighter instructions would be given to guards. He said such incidents had happened twice.

However, he held Israel "fully responsible for all the suffering and dangers that its [hostages] are exposed to as a result of the barbaric genocide against [the Palestinian people]."

Later on Thursday, Al-Qassam Brigades published on its Telegram channel a photo of a bloodied, deceased man covered in a sheet. The photo pertains to a hostage who was murdered and whose body was recovered in an operation by the IDF and Shin Bet at the end of November, the IDF reported. The family has been informed by IDF representatives.

The photo was shared with a caption, in English and broken Hebrew, calling the hostage's murder an "unfortunate incident."

Hamas placed the responsibility for the death on Israel, writing as part of the caption that "your brutality is an imminent danger to your prisoners. Time is running out."

Richel Zarfati, the mother of Ofir Zarfati, who was kidnapped and killed by Hamas and had his photo published, said that "what is important is that the negotiating team do everything to succeed and return home with a deal."

Sarfati added that "there are 115 hostages who must return home - the lives for rehabilitation and the dead for a proper Jewish burial. I choose not to look at the picture that Hamas published and to remember Ofir as he was: a perfect man, handsome, smiling, happy, and not as Hamas decided to do in despicable psychological warfare today."

First reports of the incident
On Monday, Abu Obeida announced that one hostage held by Hamas in Gaza was killed by the guard assigned to him, and another two female hostages were seriously wounded.

The terrorist group formed a committee to investigate the incident. The IDF said that, at the moment, it lacks the intelligence to confirm or deny these claims.

Reuters contributed to this report.

Ots confusing, they should name them all.

This is from the extraordinary account of one of the hostages released in December. She was lucky in that she was treated well by her captors.

The Haaretz article 27 July can be found through ‘archive ph’ by entering the following headline into the box at the bottom of the page:
'I Wanted Them to Like Me. That's How You Survive': Liat Atzili Spent Weeks Conversing With Her Hamas Captors. Here's What They Talked About’

Excerpt from the article, near the end.

"Obviously," she says, pauses for a moment and takes a breath. "I was and I remain a leftist from the radical edges who believes in coexistence and peace," she continues, softly. "Peace is not a dream of bleeding hearts. We have no other alternative. Without peace, we will not survive. And peace isn't eating falafel in Khan Yunis with my captors. Peace is the absence of war. And if this war will not finally be leveraged to create dramatic change, then we really can pack our bags and leave this place.

"The wretched statement that the whole Strip is Hamas is factually wrong. They were wrong in their support for what was done, like the Israeli public was wrong about many things. Here too there is a horrible government. Here too an unworthy prime minister is elected time and again by a disturbing majority. And yes, I think about what is happening in Gaza. I feel compassion for people who suffer, bereaved families on both sides are families that are overcome with sadness and loss, and my sadness and loss are no more important the sadness and loss of other families. War is not an end in and of itself. It's clear to me that this war at the moment serves only political interests. And it's clear that the government has sacrificed the hostages on the altar of its political survival."

Bodies of 6 hostages recovered from Khan Younis overnight, including one that they had not confirmed had been killed. All were kidnapped alive.

Alex Dancyg, 75, Yagev Buchshtav, 35, Chaim Peri, 79, Yoram Metzger, 80, Nadav Popplewell, 51, and Avraham Munder, 78.

ברוך דיין אמת, יהי זכרם ברוך 💔

https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog-august-20-2024/#liveblog-entry-3357701

So sad 😞

I see it was a rescue mission to bring the individuals back to their families.

That is shattering news @EllaDisenchanted . How terrible it must be for their families to know they had had a chance of survival but now it’s gone; and for other families to wonder about their loved ones still in captivity.

Such sad news; I am so sorry.