The defense liaison to the Palestinians confirms that Israel is holding the remains of two Hamas gunmen who were shot dead as they opened fire on Israeli soldiers on Friday, and says Gazans won’t enjoy a restoration of calm until the bodies of Israelis are returned.
US President Donald Trump’s peace envoy Jason Greenblatt (L) tours a Hamas terror tunnel near the Gaza Strip with Coordinator for Government Activities in the Territories Yoav Mordechai, on August 30, 2017. (COGAT Spokesperson’s Office)
Maj. Gen. Yoav Mordechai says that in total Israel is currently in possession of the bodies of 24 Palestinian terrorists who were killed since the 2014 Gaza war.
Palestinian media previously reported that the two slain Hamas members were in Israel’s custody, but the military would not confirm the claim until now.
On his Arabic-language Facebook page, the liaison writes that Israel will not return the bodies until Hamas hands over the remains of two fallen IDF soldiers and two live Israeli civilians.
“Israel will not rest and the residents of Gaza will not know peace until the Israelis are returned from the Gaza Strip and our soldiers will be brought for burial in Israel,” he writes.
— Judah Ari Gross
Help us report truthfully on social media
As a multimedia journalist, my job is to take the quality, fact-based journalism produced by The Times of Israel newsroom and make it accessible across every platform — from Instagram posts to podcasts to short-form videos.
This is how many, especially young people, consume news these days. But misinformation is rampant on social media. Our team at ToI produces accurate, responsible short-form reporting on Israel and the Jewish world.
If you believe in the importance of factual social media journalism, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to sustain responsible multimedia reporting.
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you, David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
From the Liveblog of
Sunday, April 1, 2018
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
