Israel declares Gaza’s largest city combat zone as bodies of 2 hostages recovered

Gaza City: Israel on Friday declared Gaza’s largest city a dangerous combat zone and said it was in the “initial stages” of a planned offensive that has drawn international condemnation.

Israel’s military said it suspended mid-day pauses to fighting, which had allowed food and aid supplies to enter from 10 am to 8 pm, while also reporting it had recovered the bodies of two hostages and vowed its military offensive would return more.

The shift comes weeks after Israel first announced plans to widen its offensive in Gaza City, where hundreds of thousands of displaced people are sheltering and enduring famine.

The resumption of around-the-clock fighting is the latest escalation after Israel reported strikes in some of the city’s key neighbourhoods and called up tens of thousands of reservists.

“We will intensify our strikes until we bring back all the kidnapped hostages and dismantle Hamas,” Israeli army spokesperson Avichay Adraee said.

Israel on Friday said its military had recovered the bodies of two hostages, including an Israeli man who was killed in the Oct 7, 2023, attack that sparked the war.

The bodies of Ilan Weiss of Kibbutz Be’eri and another unnamed hostage were returned to Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said. “The campaign to return the hostages continues continuously. We will not rest or be silent until we return all of our hostages home — both the living and the dead,” Netanyahu said.

Of the 251 hostages taken by Hamas-led militants almost 22 months ago, roughly 50 remain in Gaza including 20 that Israel believes to be alive.

Israel’s Hostages and Missing Families Forum, which has organised large-scale protests demanding a ceasefire to return the hostages, mourned the losses and said Israeli leaders should prioritise a deal to return both the living and the dead.