From the Liveblog of
Thursday, June 5, 2025
Witkoff, Rubio praise recovery of slain hostages, urge release of remaining captives
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleJacob Magid is The Times of Israel's US bureau chief
US special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff and Secretary of State Marco Rubio hail the Israeli military operation that recovered the bodies of slain American-Israeli hostages Judih Weinstein and Gadi Haggai.
Witkoff says he is “grateful for the Israeli soldiers” who recovered the couple’s bodies so they “may now rest in peace.”
“While those killed can never be replaced, this closure is absolutely critical and a minimum of human decency,” Witkoff says.
He calls on Hamas to accept the temporary ceasefire proposal he put forward. Witkoff told hostages’ families earlier this week during a White House meeting that he was optimistic about the chances for a breakthrough in the effort in the coming days, two sources familiar with the matter told The Times of Israel.
Rubio says in a statement that while the Israeli operation “may bring a measure of closure to the Weinstein-Haggai family, it is a stark reminder of the enduring cruelty 56 families continue to face – including those of Americans Omer Neutra and Itay Chen – whose loved ones have been held by Hamas in Gaza since October 7. All hostages must be released immediately.”
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