IDF Finds Several Bodies In Underground Gaza Tunnels, Possible Israeli Hostages Among The Deceased

Israeli soldiers operate in what the military described as a Hamas command tunnel running partly under UNRWA headquarters, in the Gaza Strip, February 8, 2024. (Reuters)

Israel reports finding bodies in Gaza amid ongoing conflict, as Biden remains hopeful for a ceasefire. Over 40,000 Palestinians killed in the latest military offensive

Israeli Defense Forces announced on Saturday that they have discovered several bodies in Gaza during combat. The military is now in the process of extracting and identifying the bodies, which will take several hours.

It asked that the public refrain from spreading rumors as to the identities of the bodies. “At this stage, the forces are still operating in the area and carrying out a process to extract and identify the bodies, which will last several hours,” the Israeli military was quoted as saying by The Times Of Israel.

After the IDF broke the news, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum issued a statement calling on the public to prepare to hold sweeping protests tomorrow. “Netanyahu abandoned the hostages. It is now a fact,” the Forum says in a self-described “dramatic” statement. “Starting tomorrow, the country will tremble. We call on the public to prepare. The country will grind to a halt. The abandonment is over.”

On Saturday, clashes broke out between Israeli troops and Palestinian fighters in the occupied West Bank as Israel pushed ahead with a military operation in the flashpoint city of Jenin. Hundreds of Israeli troops have been carrying out raids since Wednesday in one of their largest actions in the West Bank in months.

US President Joe Biden said his staff was in contact with the Israelis and confirmed that they have discovered bodies in Gaza. He was unsure of the exact number of bodies. Biden added he was not at liberty to identify the bodies at this time.

Biden, speaking to reporters in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, said he was “still optimistic,” about a ceasefire deal to stop the conflict. “I think we’re on the verge of having an agreement,” he said. “It’s time this war ended.” Biden added that “people are continuing to meet.” “We think we can close the deal, they’ve all said they agree on the principles.”

At least 40,691 Palestinians have been killed and 94,060 injured in Israel’s military offensive in the Gaza Strip since Oct. 7, the enclave’s health ministry said in a statement on Saturday. The war was triggered when Palestinian Islamist group Hamas attacked Israel, killing 1,200 and taking about 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.

(With agency inputs)