“The cabinet must gather immediately and reverse the decision made on Thursday. It is too late for the hostages who were murdered in cold blood. We must bring back the hostages that are still being held by Hamas. The State of Israel will pursue all Hamas leaders and murderers," Gallant said.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said in response to Gallant, "The Cabinet will not allow a surrender deal that would harm Israel's security. Intelligence and national responsibility must prevail and guide our decision-making."
The Israeli government has refused to withdraw from the Philadelphi Corridor on the border between Gaza and Egypt during the talks on a ceasefire deal that would see many of the remaining hostages returned because withdrawing from the corridor would allow Hamas to resume smuggling in masses of weapons and rearm for future conflicts against Israel.
Overnight, the bodies of Ori Danino, Carmel Gat, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Alexander Lonanov, Almog Sarusi, and Eden Yerushalmi, all of whom were kidnapped during the October 7 massacre, were recovered from a tunnel underneath Rafah in southern Gaza.
IDF Spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari stated that the six hostages were murdered by their Hamas captors shortly before the IDF forces could reach them.
An Israeli source said this morning that three of the hostages who were murdered in captivity and whose bodies to Israel were on the list of hostages that Hamas agreed to return in the deal proposed in early July. READ MORE
