- Israeli military retains six deceased captives; Vaccination initiation commences in Gaza
Amidst the news of six slain captives uncovered in the southern part of Gaza Strip, a major anti-polio vaccination drive is underway in the Palestinian territory. This revelation has compounded the criticism directed towards Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Simultaneously, clashes persisted in the occupied West Bank. Three law enforcers, along with two males and a female, were murdered in a suspected Palestinian attack close to Hebron.
Plans for mass immunization due to polio concerns
Owing to the first instance of polio-induced paralysis in a span of 25 years in the disputed coastal zone, close to 640,000 individuals are expectant to receive immunization against the highly contagious polio virus. As per World Health Organization (WHO) reports, this process involves administering two doses of the vaccine at intervals of four weeks.
The immunization drive is spearheaded by local health authorities, UNICEF, and UN Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA, as stated by a WHO representative. The campaign commenced on Sunday in central Gaza.
Halima Baraka, a 39-year-old mother of four, paid a visit to one of the vaccination centers in Deir al-Balah in the morning. "I'm here to safeguard my children from this illness," she expressed, gesturing towards the cramped living conditions of displaced individuals in tent camps. "The living conditions are bleak, we lack necessary cleaning supplies, nutritious food for our children, and waste is rampant everywhere. Diseases can spread rapidly among the children."
Sally Saidam from the Nuseirat refugee quarter also arrived to have four of her six children vaccinated. "We're fighting for our survival, not just because of the incessant Israeli attacks, but also because of diseases, hunger, and penury." Her plea to the international community: "Enough with losses and destruction, you must assist us in stopping this conflict."
Israeli-observed ceasefires for vaccination drive
During the vaccination campaign, scheduled for approximately a week and to be expanded across various locations in the Gaza Strip, the Israeli army plans to maintain time- and location-limited ceasefires. According to Netanyahu's office, these ceasefires are not identical to classical ceasefires.
Just prior to the commencing of the vaccination campaign, the Israeli army reported the discovery of six deceased captives. Netanyahu accused Hamas of intentionally orchestrating the derailment of attempts to secure a ceasefire. "Individuals who execute hostages do not aspire for a resolution," he declared in a video address. Hamas dismissed several US proposals, while Israel accepted them. However, Israeli critics contend that Netanyahu is undermining efforts to reach a ceasefire due to personal and political motivations.
Captives abducted from the Nova music festival in Gaza Strip
The deceased captives included four males - Hersh Goldberg-Polin (23), Alexander Lobanov (32), Almog Sarusi (27), and Ori Danino (25) - and two females - Carmel Gat (40) and Eden Jeruschalmi (24). As per the forum for relatives of the abducted, five of them were abducted on October 7 from the Nova music festival nearby the Gaza Strip in the Negev desert.
The six corpses were excavated from an underground tunnel in the Rafah region in the southern disputed Gaza Strip and transported to Israel, the army asserted. "Based on our initial assessment, they were brutally slain by Hamas terrorists just prior to our arrival," Israeli army spokesman Daniel Hagari reported. A Hamas spokesperson, however, countered that the captives were killed in an Israeli bombardment.
Another army spokesperson initially declined to provide details relating to the precise time and circumstances of their deaths. They were murdered by Hamas terrorists, yet investigations were still in progress. Approximately one kilometer away, a 52-year-old captive was rescued alive from a tunnel on Tuesday. "We lacked specific intelligence on their locations," he acknowledged, referring only to "general information" suggesting that hostages were being detained in the vicinity.
"I love you, remain strong, survive!"
The relatives of Goldberg-Polin, a U.S. citizen, had tirelessly advocated for his release. Just last month, their stirring account of their son, who lost an arm in the abduction, moved the audience at a U.S. Democratic Party gathering to tears. On Thursday, they participated in a protest at the Gaza border. "Hersh, this is Mom," Rachel Goldberg-Polin bellowed into a megaphone towards Gaza. "I love you, stay strong, survive!"
German ambassador to Israel, Steffen Seibert, posted on X: "We learn of the tragic news that six more captives have perished, executed by Hamas." Seibert named hostage Carmel Gat. Since the Hamas raid on Israel, the German embassy has supported the family's endeavors for her release. The Foreign Office declined to confirm whether Carmel Gat was a German citizen.
A relative of a still-missing captive shared with Israeli TV channel 13: "If we wait until we've detained the last Hamas fighter, there will be no live captives left to rescue." The discovery of the bodies served as a dismal confirmation of this. "Netanyahu could negotiate their release. Be that as it may, it's Hamas that abducted and killed them, no one questions that, but the prime minister could save them - however, he's not, he's abandoning them."
Thousands staged demonstrations in Tel Aviv and other localities on Saturday evening, demanding an agreement to free the captives from Islamic Hamas' grip.
In total, terrorist groups, including Hamas, abducted over 250 people from Israel into the sealed coastal region during the October 7 incident. The number of the 101 captives still alive in Gaza remains unspecified.
Since the inception of the conflict, the number of Palestinians killed in the coastal strip has surpassed 40,700, as per Gaza authorities. This figure fails to distinguish between combatants and civilians and is challenging to authenticate.
The discovery of the six slain captives has added fuel to the criticism facing Prime Minister Netanyahu, as it happened during the time of the conflict and just before the planned ceasefires for the anti-polio vaccination drive.
This tragic incident has further complicated the efforts to secure a ceasefire, as it was alleged that Hamas deliberately orchestrated the captives' deaths to derail peace talks, according to Netanyahu's accusations.
