Israel says remains taken for forensic testing after Hamas handover
Listen to this articleEstimated 3 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by text-to-speech, a technology based on artificial intelligence.Hamas on Tuesday handed over the remains of one of the last two deceased hostages still in Gaza, the International Committee of the Red Cross said, under terms of the October ceasefire deal.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said in a statement that Israeli forces in Gaza had received what it described as "findings" that would be taken into Israel for forensic testing.The two remaining deceased hostages are Israeli police officer Ran Gvili and Thai national Sudthisak Rinthalak, both kidnapped during the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel that touched off two years of devastating war in Gaza.The Geneva-based ICRC has acted as an intermediary between Gaza militant groups and Israel throughout the war triggered by the Palestinian militant group's attack, helping facilitate the release of living hostages and the handover of remains.Israeli strike kills journalist: local officialsEarlier, an Israeli airstrike killed a Palestinian man, whom local health authorities identified as freelance journalist Mahmoud Wadi, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip.A senior Israeli military official told Reuters that Wadi had taken part in Hamas's October 2023 attack, citing photographs. Reuters was not immediately able to independently verify the official's account.Another Palestinian journalist was wounded in the Israeli strike, Gaza authorities said.Mourners react next to the body of freelance Palestinian journalist Mahmoud Wadi, who was killed in an Israeli strike on Tuesday, according to local health authorities, at Nasser hospital in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip. (Haseeb Alwazeer/Reuters)Later, the Palestinian Civil Defence service said Israeli tank shells hit a house in a Gaza City suburb, killing two people and wounding 15 others.The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment on the incident.The war in Gaza began after Hamas-led militants killed 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and seized 251 hostages, according to Israeli tallies, in an attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. The Gaza Health Ministry reported on Saturday that the number of people confirmed killed in Israel's offensive in the Gaza Strip has passed the 70,000 mark, most of them civilians.At least 357 killed since Oct. 10Israel has continued to strike Gaza and conduct demolitions against what it says is Hamas infrastructure since the Oct. 10 ceasefire. Hamas and Israel have both accused each other of violating the U.S.-backed agreement.At least 357 Palestinians have been killed since the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas went into effect, Gaza health authorities say. Palestinian militants killed three Israeli soldiers during this time, Israeli authorities said.The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has said it has documented 201 journalists and media workers killed in Gaza, Israel and Lebanon, where the war spilled over shortly after the initial attack in 2023.WATCH | Aid groups warn of current living conditions in Gaza:Humanitarian groups are warning that the amount of aid getting into Gaza is nowhere near what was promised under the terms of the ceasefire deal with Israel, and rains have left many with damaged shelters or no place to live as the weather cools.
Among those killed were journalists working for Reuters. The count includes 193 Palestinians killed by Israel in Gaza, six killed by Israel in Lebanon, and two Israelis killed in the October 7 attack.The CPJ said Israel has never published the results of a formal investigation or held anyone accountable in the killings of journalists by its military.An Israeli military spokesperson said Israeli forces have targeted only combatants and military sites, avoided civilians and journalists, and warned that staying in active combat zones carries inherent risks despite efforts to minimize harm.It has alleged at times, without providing verifiable evidence, that some journalists were killed because of their links to Hamas, which their news organizations denied.
