- The British military will fly surveillance over Gaza to find the hostages.
- The surveillance aircraft will only be used to find hostages and information related to hostage rescue.
- Israel has begun to declare some of the missing people dead while in captivity.
The British military will fly surveillance over Gaza to find the hostages that Hamas has been holding since it attacked Israel on October 7. During a recent week-long ceasefire, about 110 of the approximately 240 Israelis and foreign hostages taken by Hamas fighters were released.
Five more British nationals remain unaccounted for after the attacks, which claimed at least 12 of their lives. The number that Hamas is holding has not been confirmed by the UK.
Surveillance aircraft
Over the Eastern Mediterranean, the UK Ministry of Defence will fly unarmed reconnaissance missions, even entering Israel and Gaza’s airspace.
The surveillance aircraft will only be used to find hostages; all other information related to hostage rescue will be forwarded to the appropriate authorities. In an attempt to provide some comfort to worried family members, srael has begun to declare some of the missing people dead while in captivity.
To look for evidence of fatal injuries among those kidnapped, a three-person medical committee has been watching videos from the October 7 attack and comparing them with the testimonies of hostages who were set free during the week-long Gaza truce that came to an end on Friday.
As part of a panel set up in response to the crisis now in its third month, Hagar Mizrahi, an official from the Health Ministry, spoke about the need for families of abducted children in Gaza to know as much as possible.
Pope Francis urged all parties to expeditiously reach a new ceasefire agreement, taking into account the fact that there are still hostages in Gaza and that the Palestinian territory lacks necessities. Appearing to rescind the army‘s declared intention to fight until Hamas is destroyed, French President Emmanuel Macron warned Israel that it could start a ten-year conflict.
Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister of Israel, stated that the war will not end until all of its objectives are met and that these objectives cannot be met without a ground operation.
