Families of Israeli captives whose bodies were retrieved from Gaza accused the Zionist government of abandoning them, Israeli media reported on Tuesday.

Israeli occupation military announced early on Tuesday it has recovered the bodies of six captives during an overnight operation in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip.

Israeli media identified the dead hostages whose bodies were brought back as Alex Dancyg, 75, Yagev Buchshtav, 35, Chaim Peri, 79, Yoram Metzger, 80, Nadav Popplewell, 51, and Avraham Munder, 78.

All six are known to have been taken to Gaza alive during Hamas’ Operation Al-Aqsa Flood on October 7.

Munder had been presumed alive by the occupation army. However, the other five captives were believed to have been killed in Khan Younis in early 2024, and declared dead between early June and late July.

In December, Hamas had published a video showing Peri, Metzger, and a third hostage alive, and in March the resistance group announced that the three were killed by Israeli strikes.

Hamas said in March that Buchshtav had died due to lack of food and medication, and that Dancyg had been killed by Israeli fire.

It is now believed that 105 of the 251 Israeli held captive by Hamas on October 7 remain in Gaza, including the bodies of 34 announced dead by the occupation military. Hamas is also holding two Israelis who entered the Strip in 2014 and 2015, as well as the bodies of two occupation soldiers who were killed in 2014.

Outrage Among Captives’ Families

Meanwhile, families of captives voiced outrage over Israeli government dealing with the issue of captives, with some relatives saying the Zionist government is abandoning the captives.

Netanyahu and his government have been facing unprecedented backlash from Israelis after the IDF recovered six dead bodies of Israeli prisoners who were held in Gaza. The families of Israeli prisoners have urged Netanyahu to strike a ceasefire-hostage deal before it’s too late pic.twitter.com/Dg4l1ItOiA

— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) August 20, 2024

Son of Dancyg, Mati, lashed out at Netanyahu’s government, accusing it of “choosing to abandon the hostages in order to survive.”

Speaking to the Kan public broadcaster, Dancyg noted testimony from released captives that said his father was in decent condition in the initial months of captivity.

“He and all the hostages could have been brought back,” Mati Dancyg charged. “Netanyahu chose to sacrifice the hostages. Karma will judge him and he will pay for it, big time.”

For her part, Einav Zangauker, mother of hostage Matan Zangauker, said Mossad director David Barnea has told her that a deal is impossible to achieve in the current political reality.

Testifying before the unofficial commission of inquiry into the failure before, on and after the October 7 Hamas attack, Zangauker said that “around May, Barnea wrote to me: ‘Dear Einav, unfortunately, in the current political constellation, a deal to release the hostages is impossible.’ He explained this was because of politics.”

The Mossad, in a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office, said that “the words attributed to the Mossad head weren’t spoken at all,” adding: “In his meeting with Einav Zangauker, the Mossad head did not refer to any political constellation in the context of the negotiations, as claimed.”

The statement added that Barnea “is continuing to work to bring about a deal for the release of all hostages soon.”

Source: Israeli media (edited by Al-Manar English Website)