Israel Defense Forces (IDF) commander Eyal Zamir said on 1/8/2023 that he expects to know in the coming days whether a hostage release agreement with Hamas will be reached.
"If not, we will continue to fight relentlessly," he warned while meeting with commanders and soldiers at a command center in the strip.
Of the 251 people Hamas captured from Israel during the October 2023 attack, 49 remain in Gaza, 27 of whom have died.
On 1/8, Hamas released two videos showing gaunt, emaciated hostages after nearly two years of captivity in Gaza.
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IDF commander Eyal Zamir in Nahal Oz, Israel, in 2018. Photo: AFP |
IDF commander Eyal Zamir in Nahal Oz, Israel, in 2018. Photo: AFP
"They eat what we eat. They drink what we drink," the video description stated. Hamas released the videos amid widespread famine in Gaza after months of the IDF restricting the flow of humanitarian aid.
Ceasefire and hostage release negotiations mediated by the US, Egypt, and Qatar failed last month.
The Gaza conflict erupted in October 2023 after Hamas forces launched an attack on southern Israel, killing more than 1,200 people and capturing 251 hostages.
The Israeli military's retaliatory campaign in Gaza has killed more than 60,000 people, mostly civilians, according to local health authorities.
Duc Trung (According to AFP, Reuters)
