Israeli forces retrieved the bodies of six hostages from Gaza on Tuesday, one of whom had been believed to be alive until now.
Yoram Metzger, 80, Chaim Peri, 80, Alexander Dancyg, 76, Yagev Buchshtab, 35, Nadav Popplewell, 51, had all been declared killed in captivity earlier this year, while Avraham Munder, 79, was believed to be still alive until now.
The Hostages Families Forum said Mr Munder was captured alive and endured “agonizing captivity alongside his loved ones”.
“He should have returned home alive to his family. His murder in captivity underscores the delay in implementing the deal that could have saved his life and the lives of other hostages,” the forum added.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said the bodies were uncovered in Khan Younis in southern Gaza by IDF and Shin Bet intelligence agency forces.
The rescue operation came as efforts to bridge the gaps between Hamas and Israel on a ceasefire continued, with Antony Blinken, the US secretary of state, saying that Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister, “confirmed” that Israel supports the “bridging proposal,” presented by Washington following a two-day summit in Cairo last week.
“The next important step is for Hamas to say ‘yes,’” Mr Blinken said.
Fragile ceasefire talks
Joe Biden, the US president, also commented on the fragile ceasefire talks as he addressed the Democratic National Convention, saying: “It’s still in play, but you can’t predict. Israel says they can work it out… Hamas is now backing away.”
Hamas has criticised the ceasefire talks and Washington’s attempt to bridge the gaps, saying their proposal “raises many ambiguities” since it isn’t what was presented to Hamas “nor what we agreed on”.
“We don’t need new Gaza ceasefire negotiations, we need to agree on an implementation mechanism,” Osama Hamdan, a Hamas official, told Reuters.
The issue of who should control the Philadelphi Corridor, a buffer zone separating Gaza from Egypt, is seen as one of the main sticking points in the ceasefire talks, with Israel insisting it keep control.
Middle East Eye cited three senior Egyptians saying that Cairo has agreed to allow Israel to maintain control of the corridor in exchange for the reopening of the Rafah border crossing which will be operated by Palestinians. Israel is yet to comment on the report.