Israel Recovers Hostage Remains As Gaza City Declared “Dangerous Combat Zone”

 

Israel’s military announced Friday that it had recovered the body of one hostage and the remains of another in Gaza, while declaring Gaza City a “dangerous combat zone” ahead of a wider assault.

The identified body was that of Ilan Weiss, 56, from Kibbutz Be’eri. The other remains have not yet been identified, according to the Prime Minister’s Office.

Weiss was kidnapped alongside his wife, Shiri, and daughter, Noga, during the Hamas-led attack on Kibbutz Be’eri on October 7, 2023. His wife and daughter were released during the November ceasefire, but Weiss’s fate remained unclear. In January 2024, Kibbutz Be’eri confirmed that he had been killed during the initial assault and that his body had been taken into Gaza.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) did not disclose the exact location in Gaza where the remains were recovered.

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum said that while the discovery brought “grief and pain,” it also gave the Weiss family “some comfort after 692 days of waiting in the nightmare of uncertainty.”

Israeli leaders also reacted to the news. President Isaac Herzog described it as “a moment of deep sorrow, but also of closure,” while Defense Minister Israel Katz vowed, “We won’t rest or be quiet until they all come back home.”

Following the recovery, 48 hostages remain in Gaza, 20 of whom are believed to still be alive.

Gaza City Declared a Combat Zone

The IDF also announced Friday that Gaza City is now considered a “dangerous combat zone.” This designation ends the daily 10-hour tactical pauses in military activity that were introduced a month earlier for humanitarian purposes.

Earlier this month, Israel’s security cabinet approved a full takeover of Gaza City, making clear that no aid distribution centers would operate inside the city itself, forcing residents to travel elsewhere for food and supplies.

Airstrikes have already intensified around the outskirts of Gaza City, with neighborhoods on the edge targeted ahead of an assault on the city center. The bombardment has driven many Palestinians deeper inside the city. Dr. Munir al-Bursh, Director-General of the Palestinian Ministry of Health, said the population density has now reached about 60,000 people per square kilometer.

Reports from northern Gaza describe repeated strikes in areas such as Jabalya. Emergency services officials say residential blocks are being hit by airstrikes, drones, and explosive devices, killing and injuring civilians while forcing evacuations.

Leaflets were also dropped over Gaza City and Jabalya, warning residents to evacuate south of Wadi Gaza.

One local resident, Ismail Zaida, described the devastation of a once-busy marketplace: “This market which had thousands of people – thousands of people – has now become empty streets. The quadcopters are flying overhead, telling people to leave.”

Others said they were staying despite the attacks. Abu Salah, another resident, described heavy bombing and artillery fire: “About an hour ago, quadcopters came in and threw no less than 50 bombs at the squares. Last night was a very difficult night.”