The Israeli military has ordered the evacuation of part of an area in the Gaza Strip it has designated a humanitarian zone.
The military said Monday it is planning to begin an operation against Hamas militants who have embedded themselves in the area and used it to launch rockets toward Israel. The area includes the eastern part of the Muwasi humanitarian zone, which is located in the southern Gaza Strip.
Earlier this month, Israel said it estimates at least a million Palestinians are now in the humanitarian zone it declared. The zone covers a stretch of about 14 kilometers (8.6 miles) along the Mediterranean. Much of that area is now blanketed with tent camps that lack sanitation and medical facilities and have limited access to aid, U.N. and humanitarian groups say.
The announcement came during delicate negotiations seeking a cease-fire in Gaza, with U.S. and Israeli officials expressing hope that an agreement is closer than ever. A negotiating team will be sent to continue talks on Thursday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said.
Egypt, Qatar and the United States are continuing to push Israel and Hamas toward a phased cease-fire deal that would stop the fighting and free the hostages.
Netanyahu left Monday for Washington, where he will make a speech before the U.S. Congress and meet with President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.
Here’s the latest:
TEL AVIV, Israel — The Israeli military announced on Monday the deaths of two Israeli hostages being held in Gaza.
The military said that they had determined the deaths of Yagev Buchshtab, 35, and Alex Dancyg, 76, who were kidnapped from their homes in southern Israel on Oct. 7, based on intelligence.
The military did not say when the hostages had died.
Dancyg, who was kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Oz, marked his 76th birthday on Sunday. According to the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, Dancyg worked for over 30 years at the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial, and passed time in captivity by giving history lectures to the other hostages.
Yagev Buchstab, 35, was kidnapped from Kibbutz Nirim on Oct. 7 along with his wife, Rimon Buchshtab-Kirsht. Rimon was released during the November ceasefire deal after 50 days in captivity.
There are approximately 120 hostages still being held in Gaza, though Israel believes more than 40 are no longer alive.
Monday’s announcement heightens pressure on the Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to agree to a cease-fire proposal that could secure the return of the hostages still held in Gaza and end the nine-month war.
Netanyahu left for a trip to the United States on Monday morning, accompanied by some of the families of the hostages and released hostages. Other families of the hostages pleaded with Netanyahu to reach a deal before he left for the trip, worried that time was running out.
A negotiating team will be sent to continue talks on Thursday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said.
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