Israel Has Recovered 59 Dead Hostages So Far, Says Netanyahu
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel will sustain its fight against Hamas, the Houthis, and other hostile groups on multiple fronts to secure its people.
Speaking at the Israeli government meeting in Jerusalem on Sunday, Netanyahu confirmed that Israeli forces had successfully retrieved the bodies of two hostages, Idan Shtivi and Ilan Weiss, from Gaza. Both men were killed during the October 7 attacks and abducted into the enclave.
“They are heroes who acted with courage to save others,” Netanyahu said, recounting that Shtivi rescued several festivalgoers at Nova before being gunned down, while Weiss, 56, was murdered as he tried to arm his community’s emergency squad.
“We have brought back 207 hostages so far, including 148 alive. We will bring them all back – the living and the deceased,” he vowed.
The prime minister said the Security Cabinet had endorsed an intensified campaign to both defeat Hamas and secure the release of all captives. He praised Israeli reservists and conscripts preparing for the “release and defeat mission.”
Netanyahu also confirmed that the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) targeted Hamas spokesman Abu Obeida in a recent strike, though the outcome remains unclear.
Regarding Yemen, he revealed that Israeli airstrikes had hit a senior Houthi gathering in Sanaa last Thursday, during which many leaders of the group’s “terrorist government” were killed.
The Houthis, who have repeatedly vowed to destroy Israel, “paid a heavy price,” Netanyahu said, promising more such operations.
“In a lethal strike, the IDF eliminated most of the Houthis government and senior military officials. This is only the beginning. We will reach them all,” he said.
Netanyahu added that Israel had already neutralised an “existential threat” two months ago and has since been dismantling hostile networks across the region.
“Together we will continue to operate on all fronts, and with God’s help, together we will continue to win,” he concluded.
Israel Has Recovered 59 Dead Hostages So Far, Says Netanyahu is first published on The Whistler Newspaper
