Israel Finds Dead Body of Missing Hostage

By Worthy News’ George Whitten and Stefan J. Bos

JERUSALEM/GAZA (Worthy News) – Israel’s army confirmed Friday that its troops in Gaza found the body of hostage Yehudit Weiss, a 65-year-old woman abducted by Hamas on October 7.

Weiss, “who worked with kindergarten kids,” was “abducted by Hamas from her home in Kibbutz Be’eri” on October 7, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement monitored by Worthy News. “Her husband, Shmulik Weiss, was murdered in their home. Yehudit and Shmulik were parents to 5 children.”

The military added that “IDF soldiers recovered her body from a building adjacent to the [Al-]Shifa Hospital in Gaza earlier today,” Thursday.

“AK-47s, [rifles and Rocket Propelled Grenades] RPGs, and other military equipment were also found where Yehudit’s body was located. The IDF sends its heartfelt condolences to the Weiss family,” the IDF added.

The IDF also said it had distributed “Over 4,000 liters of water and 1,500 ready-made meals” to [Al-] Shifa Hospital,” Gaza’s largest medical facility. “The well-being of civilians, including patients and staff, remains a priority,” the IDF said.

However, it defended its entry into the complex, saying troops have been “Exposing another layer of Hamas’ exploitation of three of the largest hospitals in Gaza.” Inside the Al-Shifa Hospital complex, “a Hamas terrorist tunnel was uncovered,” the IDF said.

“Inside the Rantisi Hospital” for children, “another terrorist tunnel was unearthed by IDF troops. Inside the Al-Quds Hospital, a large amount of weaponry and ammunition were found. This was all found over the past 24 hours,” the IDF said.

SOLDIERS AT SITE

Al-Shifa hospital staff said hundreds of patients were still at the site. A witness claimed that “soldiers are everywhere, shooting in all directions.”

Israel’s army said however that its forces found a tunnel shaft and a “booby-trapped vehicle” on the grounds of the hospital.

As fighting continued, mobile phone and internet services were down across Gaza because of a lack of fuel, Palestinian telecom companies said.

Israel earlier said there was plenty of fuel, but Hamas had used that much to fire rockets at the Jewish nation.

Telecoms firms Jawwal and Paltel said, however, that all energy sources sustaining their generators have run out. Israel has reportedly blocked all but one fuel delivery to Gaza since the start of the war, saying it wants to prevent Hamas from receiving the aid.

The Israeli army started striking Gaza after Hamas’s 7 October attacks, in which 1,200 people were killed, including babies and toddlers, and more than 200 hostages were taken.

The Hamas-run health ministry says more than 11,500 people have been killed in Gaza since then, but it did not reveal how many fighters are among the reported figures.

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