Published: 09:54, June 4, 2024 | Updated: 10:10, June 4, 2024
Israel confirms deaths of 4 more hostages in Hamas captivity
By Xinhua
Israel's Finance Minister Bezalel Smotric (right) addresses the relatives of Israelis being held hostage by Palestinian Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip, during a rally in the center of Jerusalem on June 3, 2024. (PHOTO / AFP)

JERUSALEM/GAZA/BEIRUT/SANAA - The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on Monday that they have confirmed the deaths of another four Israeli hostages taken to the Gaza Strip by Hamas on Oct 7, 2023, claiming the Gaza-ruling group is still holding their bodies.

IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari said the Israeli forces estimate "that the four were killed together in the Khan Younis area several months ago" when the Israeli forces were operating there.

He noted that the confirmation of their deaths was based on intelligence information and was approved by an expert committee at the health ministry.

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He added that the IDF is conducting a thorough investigation into the circumstances of their death and is examining all possibilities.

Currently, 124 Israeli hostages remain held in the Gaza Strip, with Israel declaring 43 of them dead

The IDF identified the four victims as Amiram Cooper, Chaim Peri, Yoram Metzger and Nadav Popplewell.

Cooper, Peri and Metzger, in their 80s, were residents of Nir Oz near the Gaza Strip border and were seen alive in a video released by Hamas in December. Popplewell, 51, was from the village of Nirim near Nir Oz. He was last seen alive in a video released by Hamas in early May.

Earlier on Monday, the IDF announced that it had located and identified the body of 36-year-old medic Dolev Yehud in his village Nir Oz. Yehud, who had been considered taken hostage until Monday was killed by Hamas on Oct 7, according to the army.

Currently, 124 Israeli hostages remain held in the Gaza Strip, with Israel declaring 43 of them dead.

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Meanwhile, the Israeli forces destroyed four residential towers in the Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza.

A ball of fire and black smoke rises moments after an Israeli air strike targeted a residential building in the city of Bureij in the central Gaza Strip on June 3, 2024. (PHOTO / AFP)

Local media reported that the previous Israeli strikes on Bureij had killed at least 11 people, including three children, over the past 24 hours

Local sources told Xinhua that the Israeli warplanes bombed and leveled four residential towers in the camp within one hour but caused no casualties. Local media also reported that previous strikes on Bureij had killed at least 11 people, including three children, over the past 24 hours.

Sources also said Israel had conducted several operations during the day in central and southern Gaza, causing several casualties.

The Israeli army has made no comment on those incidents.

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Responding to a high-profile peace proposal laid out by the United States, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said US President Joe Biden's remarks about a ceasefire proposal were "inaccurate".

When addressing the Israeli parliament, the prime minister said the claim that "we agreed to a ceasefire without meeting our conditions is not true".

Iran proposes emergency OIC meeting

Iranian Caretaker Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri Kani on Monday called for convening an emergency ministerial meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation to take collective steps against the Israeli offensive in the Gaza Strip.

"Islamic countries must adopt a joint movement to confront the Israeli aggression and protect Palestinian people," he said following a meeting in Beirut with his Lebanese counterpart Abdallah Bou Habib, according to the Lebanese National News Agency.

Lebanon's caretaker Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib (right) and Iran's acting Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri Kani hold a press conference in Beirut on June 3, 2024. (PHOTO / AFP)

This marks the first diplomatic visit by Bagheri Kani after his predecessor died in a helicopter crash last month.

Bou Habib said the two sides reached a consensus about "the danger of the continued war in Gaza, which undermines the chances of a just and comprehensive peace in the region"

Bagheri Kani said the close relationship between Iran and Lebanon is a significant indicator of regional stability.

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"Iran has always been a supporter of Lebanon's stability, safety, security, and progress and has spared no effort to promote the well-being of the Lebanese people," he said.

For his part, Bou Habib said the two sides reached a consensus about "the danger of the continued war in Gaza, which undermines the chances of a just and comprehensive peace in the region".

The two sides also discussed Gaza ceasefire proposals, Israel's withdrawal from the strip, and the exchange of detainees between Hamas and Israel, Bou Habib added.

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The Lebanese minister noted that his country has been seeking to avoid a wider war and looking for "sustainable solutions that restore calm and stability to southern Lebanon".

During his visit, Bagheri Kani also met with Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati and House Speaker Nabih Berri.

Houthis strike southern Israeli city

Yemen's Houthi group on Monday said they launched a ballistic missile attack on southern Israel's port city of Eilat, the group's Military Spokesman Yahya Sarea said in a statement.

Earlier on Monday, Israeli media outlets reported that the Israeli forces in Eilat intercepted a ballistic missile coming from the direction of the Red Sea

The missile forces of the Houthi group targeted a military site in Eilat with a new self-made missile called "Palestine", said the Houthi official, claiming that "the operation achieved its goal successfully".

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He also pledged continued military operations "in support of the Palestinian people" until Israel stops its attacks on the Palestinian enclave.

Earlier on Monday, Israeli media outlets reported that the Israeli forces in Eilat intercepted a ballistic missile coming from the direction of the Red Sea.

The Houthi rebel group, which controls much of northern Yemen, began last November to launch ballistic missiles and drones targeting southern Israel and what they said were Israeli-linked ships transiting the Red Sea, to show solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

Several ships had been reportedly damaged by Houthi attacks.