Tens of thousands of grieving and angry Israelis surged into the streets Sunday night in nationwide demonstrations against Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, urging his government to reach a deal for the immediate return of hostages still being held in Gaza after the bodies of six hostages taken by Hamas on October 7 were recovered from the enclave overnight. Read our blog to see how the day's events unfolded.
This blog is no longer being updated. For more coverage of the Israel-Hamas war, please click here.
Summary:
- A planned nationwide strike on Monday aims to pressure Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s government into concluding a deal to bring back Israeli hostages still held by Hamas in Gaza.
- The bodies of six hostages have been recovered from the Gaza Strip, with the Israeli military naming them as Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Carmel Gat, Eden Yerushalmi, Alexander Lobanov, Almog Sarusi and Master Sergeant Ori Danino.
- Reporting from Jerusalem, FRANCE 24 correspondent Irris Makler said the six hostages survived 11 months of war but were "shot as their captors were fleeing".
- Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu vowed to "settle the score" and accused Hamas of killing the hostages "in cold blood". "Whoever murders hostages doesn’t want a deal," he said.
- Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid called for protests and a strike to pressure the government to reach a deal on the remaining hostages. The head of Israel's largest trade union ordered a "complete strike" on Monday in support of the hostages.
- At least 40,738 Palestinians have been killed, mostly women and children, and 94,154 wounded in Israel's war in Gaza, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run enclave. The Hamas-led October 7 attacks resulted in the deaths of more than 1,190 people, mostly civilians, according to official Israeli figures. Some 250 people were taken hostage, with about 120 remaining in Gaza. Many have been declared dead by Israeli authorities.
About casualty figures from Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry:
Gaza’s health ministry collects data from the enclave’s hospitals and the Palestinian Red Crescent. For more on the health ministry’s casualty figures, click here.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP & Reuters)
