Israel says bodies of two hostages returned as military declares Gaza City combat zone

Israel has said its military has recovered the bodies of two hostages previously being held by the militant group Hamas in Gaza.

The bodies reportedly include an Israeli man who was killed in the 7 October 2023 Hamas-led incursion into southern Israel that sparked the ongoing war.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office identified one of the bodies as that of Ilan Weiss of Kibbutz Be'eri. The other body remains unnamed.

"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," Netanyahu said on Friday.

Of the 251 hostages taken by militants almost 22 months ago, around 50 remain in Gaza, including 20 that Israel believes to still be alive.

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum, which has organised mass protests demanding a ceasefire to return the hostages, said Israeli leaders should prioritise a ceasefire deal to return both the living and the dead.

"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," the group said in a statement.

'Dangerous combat zone'

Meanwhile, the IDF said on Friday it was suspending mid-day pauses allowing the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza City, calling it "a dangerous combat zone."

The city was among the places that Israel paused fighting last month to allow food and aid supplies to enter from 10 am to 8 pm local time (9 am to 7 pm CEST).

The “tactical pauses” apply to Gaza City, Deir al-Balah and Muwasi, where hundreds of thousands of displaced people are sheltering.

The suspension comes as Israel prepares to widen its offensive in the city, days after it reported strikes in key neighbourhoods and called up tens of thousands of reservists.

Israel's military did not say whether it had notified residents or aid groups about the plans to resume daytime hostilities.

Israel has said in the past that Gaza City is 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 Strip could lose half of its hospital bed capacity if Israel invades as planned.

The suspension of the pause also comes one week after the world's leading food security authority declared that Gaza City was being gripped by famine, following months of warnings.

The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) 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.

The IPC analysis concluded hunger, starvation and child malnutrition had surpassed thresholds necessary to declare famine.

The Norwegian Refugee Council, which coordinates a coalition of aid groups active in Gaza, said Israel's preparation for its large-scale ground offensive had already 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 respond."